There's a long list of NHS inquiries, but what have they actually changed?

There's a long list of NHS inquiries, but what have they actually changed? From Mid Staffs to Morecambe Bay, inquiries into poor care are cathartic. But too often they have unintended consequences, or are ignored.

The claim by the chair of the Morecambe Bay inquiry (pdf) that the NHS risks “another avoidable disaster” by failing to implement the recommendations in his report highlights the dangers of using inquiries to drive service improvements.

According to Nursing Times, Dr Bill Kirkup claimed that almost a year after the inquiry into failures in maternity care at Furness general hospital that contributed to the deaths of at least 11 babies and one mother, there has been progress on only 10 of the 26 national recommendations the report made. Kirkup was particularly concerned that his calls for the introduction of investigations by professional regulators, national reviews into isolated rural services and a review of the NHS complaints system have yet to be fully implemented. Continue reading... The Guardian