After the publication of the report into Stafford Hospital by Robert Francis QC, Jeremy Lefroy said:

"This report is welcome but does not go far enough. The Government set terms of reference which meant that it did not tackle many of the most important questions.

"As Mr Francis himself writes (p391) 'It is clear....that neither the reviews commissioned to date by the Government, nor this Inquiry, given its terms of reference are capable of allaying the concerns...that the system failed to detect and act upon the deficiencies of the Trust...(and) that the present system of regulation (can) ensure that no such situations re-occur.'

"So key questions remain unanswered. For instance, why did poor standards of care continue for so long unnoticed by the PCT, SHA or Department of Health? Or why, when the hospital applied to become a Foundation Trust, did neither the SHA nor the PCT raise any concerns in relation to the quality of care at the Trust? None of the controls in the supposedly heavily regulated NHS system appear to have worked.

"These questions will remain unanswered until an Inquiry held under the 2005 Inquries Act is held, where people, and in particular those at senior levels, can be required to give evidence under oath.

"These matters are not just of concern to Stafford, they matter for the entire NHS."

Jeremy added that the current senior management team at Stafford - under Sir Stephen Moss, Chairman, and Mr Antony Sumara, Chief Executive - were working extremely hard with staff to improve the situation. Patient safety together with ensuring care and respect for patients and loved ones were their top priority.

"I will support their work in any way I can as we must seek to restore public confidence in our Hospital. There is still a huge amount of work to do to achieve this, and it is not made any easier by the deficit the Hospital is running."