Government review highlights leadership failings in NHS

The government has vowed to tackle "mediocrity and inadequate leadership" in the NHS following the publication of a new report from Professor Sir Bruce Keogh.

A total of 14 NHS trusts with high mortality rates were investigated as part of the report, which found that none of the hospitals assessed were providing consistently high quality care to patients.

It was revealed that patients in these facilities were often moved around without explanation, left alone or talked down to by doctors, while operating theatres were poorly maintained and staff were overworked.

As a result, 11 of the 14 trusts will be required to implement the recommendations of the Keogh review, with external teams to be sent in to help accomplish and monitor this.

Health secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "We owe it to the three million people who use the NHS every week to tackle and confront mediocrity and inadequate leadership head on."

Responding to the report, the British Medical Association agreed that more needs to be done to tackle care quality failings, but warned against knee-jerk reactions that do not take into account the funding shortfalls the NHS is facing.