It's reported that deliberately fixing NHS statistics will be made a criminal offence as part of the response to the Mid Staffordshire scandal.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said hospitals must always provide the right data, particularly that on mortality rates, in order for the government to have a clear idea of whether a hospital is safe or not.
Hunt told ITV News the government will be considering making it a criminal offence for NHS data to be manipulated.
The Healthy Secretary Jeremy Hunt has defended the head of the NHS, Sir David Nicholson, over the Mid Staffs scandal saying that it was not all down to one man.
He also announced plans for NHS managers and hospital trusts to be held liable if they fiddle data.
– Jeremy Hunt, Health Secretary, speaking to the DAILY TELEGRAPHThe future NHS will have a more open culture, with better information for patients and the public. That information must be credible and provided on a basis which is honest and consistent.
Like me, the public has a deep and abiding affection for the NHS, but scandals such as Mid Staffordshire have affected trust in it. We need to get that trust back.
We feel strongly that if NHS trusts are caught acting fraudulently about their performance on areas such as death rates or waiting times, they should be criminally liable.
It's reported that deliberately fixing NHS statistics will be made a criminal offence as part of the response to the Mid Staffordshire scandal. According to the Daily Telegraph, seven-figure fines and jail terms could be imposed on NHS chiefs found to have altered waiting time or death rate figures.
