NHS blame culture stops deaths being prevented, says former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt

A BLAME culture stops deaths being prevented in the NHS, former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt says.

Secrecy makes it hard to iron out errors, he claims.

And bungling managers are never sacked just moved to another part of the country.

In a new book about the NHS, he adds: “It’s difficult for doctors, nurses and midwives to speak openly.”

Mr Hunt, chair of the Commons health committee, said staff were “run ragged by the intensity of work”.

But he ruled out vying to replace Boris Johnson as PM, telling the BBC now is “not the moment for a leadership contest”.

He also warned that when it comes to changes in the health service, “the foundation of any reforms must be to improve the quality as well as the quantity of care delivered”.

But he admitted that his own failings have contributed to people waiting hours for an ambulance or in A&E departments.

Mr Hunt became chair of the Health and Social Care Committee in 2020.