"Where we see opportunities now or in future years to act to both improve the safety of care and to honour those who were so badly let down in Gosport, we will seize them, and we will act on them." Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
Today, Matt Hancock, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care made a statement in Parliament on the Gosport Independent Panel report into deaths at the Gosport War Memorial Hospital between 1988 and 2000, published earlier this year.
Since becoming Member of Parliament for the Gosport Constituency in 2010, Caroline has been determined to support those affected by events at the Hospital to get access to the facts. While she is pleased that the Government has fulfilled their commitment to fund this £13M Independent Panel, as a vital step towards addressing the concerns and uncovering the truth, it has been a very long and hard journey for all those involved.
In his statement to the house today, Matt Hancock apologised on behalf of the Government and the NHS and outlines reforms that have been made since these events such as the establishment of the Care Quality Commission in 2009 and syringe drivers being removed from NHS use.
He also outlined changes that will be made following the Gosport Independent Panel report, this includes strengthening the protection for NHS Whistleblowers, new legislation for NHS Trusts to report annually on how concerns raised by staff have been addressed, and the Introduction of Medical Examiners and Reforms to Death Certification in England and Wales from April next year.
Commenting Caroline said:
"I've always supported the families of the deceased to get the answers they've been demanding for far too long.
I'm pleased the Government have responded to the Gosport Independent Panel report and are making changes to ensure that staff and relatives feel empowered to speak up and deaths are properly investigated, it will all help ensure a tragedy like this cannot occur again.
However I understand that families will still feel that we are some way from finally achieving the justice they have been seeking"
The Department of Health & Social Care have also put in place a support package for those affected by events at the Gosport War Memorial – call 01132545290 or e-mail gosportenquiries@dh.gsi.gov.uk
You can watch the Secretary of State's Statement in full here. You can read the Government's response to the report here.