Britain’s accountability problem – hospitals are just the start

Britain’s accountability problem – hospitals are just the start If holding vital public bodies to account is a mark of a civilised, functioning democracy, we’re not in a good place

Margaret Aspinall, whose 18-year-old son James died in the Hillsborough tragedy, addressed a meeting in parliament on Tuesday. She spoke at the launch of Andy Burnham’s new campaign for stronger police accountability. The parliamentary and health service ombudsman (PHSO) has just published a shaming report on the way vulnerable patients are sometimes discharged from hospital. Earlier in the week, health thinktank the King’s Fund heard that there was a serious shortage of senior managers prepared to take on the thankless task of running an NHS trust.

Each of these is important in themselves. Each of these says something troubling about how public bodies are held to account. Continue reading... The Guardian