News story

Press briefing - morning 8 March 2013

The Prime Minister's Spokesperson (PMS) answered questions on the NHS.

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

NHS

Asked what the PM thought about Andy Burnham’s claims that the Health Secretary criticising coasting hospitals is running down the NHS, the PMS re-iterated the Health Secretary’s statement that “not bad is not good enough”. There are hundreds of thousands incredibly hard working staff in the NHS and it is important that the NHS continue to develop the culture of care and compassion which every NHS patient should expect.

Asked when Jeremy Hunt talks about mediocre hospitals - is he suggesting there are more disasters - to come PMS said the every NHS patient deserves the very highest standards of care and compassion and where there are failings they need to be addressed.

Asked if the PM agrees with the Health Secretary’s view that while the government has apologised for Mid-Staffordshire there has been a silence on the issue from the opposition, the PMS said that this had been addressed in the PM’s answer in PMQs.

Published 8 March 2013