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Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust

I must tell my right hon. Friend that I am not surprised by the contents of the report—although I have not read it yet—in view of the evidence taken a few months ago by the Select Committee on Health about patient safety, part of which concerned the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust. When we debate the subject in Westminster Hall next month, it will be possible to flesh out these matters a little further. My right hon. Friend said that more groups were being formed to examine a number of issues, including whistleblowing. May I ask him to look again at the recommendations in the Health Committee's report on patient safety? We suggested that there should be a system of whistleblowing like the one in New Zealand, which seems to be far more efficient and provide people with far more access. As my right hon. Friend pointed out in his statement, people in the NHS do not feel that they are able to blow whistles in an appropriate manner, even when there are horror stories such as those about what was happening to patients in Stafford hospital.