Heidi Alexander MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, in response to Jeremy Hunt’s speech at the Global Patient Safety Summit, said:

“Labour is supportive of any measures that will improve safety and make the NHS more open to learning from mistakes.

“The implementation of independent medical examiners is long overdue and it is unclear why it is being further delayed until 2018, given that the previous Labour Government first legislated for these important reforms in 2009 

“However alongside measures to investigate harm there needs to be action to prevent harm from happening in the first place. On Jeremy Hunt’s watch hospitals are overcrowded, understaffed and facing financial crisis. Patients are suffering longer waits and satisfaction with the NHS is getting worse, not better.”

ENDS