F214 Accepted

Shared training

Mid Staffs Inquiry · Report of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry · Issued 6 February 2013

Source — verbatim from the inquiry

Inquiry recommendation

A leadership staff college or training system, whether centralised or regional, should be created to: provide common professional training in management and leadership to potential senior staff; promote healthcare leadership and management as a profession; administer an accreditation scheme to enhance eligibility for consideration for such roles; promote and research best leadership practice in healthcare.

Mid Staffs Inquiry, Report of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry · 6 Feb 2013 Source PDF →

Published evidence summary

Publicly available evidence relating to this recommendation:

- The NHS Leadership Academy provides national leadership and management training programmes for staff at all levels (DHSC and NHS England implementation update provided to the Thirlwall Inquiry, April 2025).
- A directory of support offers for executive and non-executive Board members was developed in August 2023 (DHSC and NHS England implementation update provided to the Thirlwall Inquiry, April 2025).
- The Messenger Review in 2022 made further recommendations regarding management standards and accredited training which are being integrated into the NHS Leadership Academy offers (Leadership for a collaborative and inclusive future, DHSC, June 2022).
How was this evidence gathered?
Evidence searched by Gemini (Google) on 30 Jun 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
External sources searched: www.gov.uk, www.legislation.gov.uk, hansard.parliament.uk

Response — verbatim from government

Department of Health and Social Care

The government published "Hard Truths: the Journey to Putting Patients First" (Cm 8777) on 19 November 2013, responding to all 290 recommendations of the Francis Report. This followed an initial response "Patients First and Foremost" in March 2013. Key reforms included a new Chief Inspector of Hospitals, strengthened Care Quality Commission inspection regime, a statutory duty of candour, and the fit and proper person test for NHS directors. Volume 2 (Cm 8754) contains the government's detailed responses to each of the 290 recommendations. See: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7cd486ed915d63cc65d167/34658_Cm_8777_Vol_1_accessible.pdf

Department of Health and Social Care · 19 Nov 2013 Written response →

Evidence trail — what's actually happened since

  • 1 Apr 2025 DHSC and NHS England implementation update provided to the Thirlwall Inquiry (April 2025). This is the government's own account of progress, submitted to the inquiry. Reviewed extent of implementation: Implemented - Ongoing. Board-level leaders A directory of support offers for executive and non-executive Board members was developed in August 2023 and has been refreshed and updated recently. All NHS managers Once the curriculum is finalised, a new nationally consistent training and development delivery model is planned, involving a framework of quality assured / accredited providers. The ambition is that this will ensure that all NHS-funded leadership and management training, whether locally, regionally or nationally delivered, is focussed on the right areas of development to enable managers to achieve the core standards. The competency domains are aligned to Our NHS People Promise, Our Leadership Way, and the Seven Principles of Public Life. All of NHS England's leadership and management offers, including the NHS Leadership Academy programmes, the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme, online resources and other products to support leaders and managers at all levels up to and including CEOs, will be refreshed in line with the curriculum. Since this recommendation was made, the Messenger Review has also made further recommendations in relation to management standards and accredited training. Source →
  • 6 Feb 2023 · Academic Review - Ten Years After Francis Research published 2023 marking ten years since the Francis Report found mixed results. Structural and legislative changes largely delivered (duty of candour, FPPR, CQC overhaul, revalidation, Freedom to Speak Up Guardians). However, cultural change not fully embedded; understaffing, fear of speaking up, and poor complaint handling persist in parts of the NHS. View source → Reasonable Progress
  • 1 Apr 2015 · HEE/Skills for Care - Care Certificate Care Certificate launched 1 April 2015 as standardised induction training for all new healthcare assistants and social care support workers. Covers 15 standards (updated to 16). Implements recommendations from Cavendish Review (July 2013) and Francis Report on healthcare support worker training. View source → Confirmed Completed
  • 11 Feb 2015 · UK Government - Culture Change in the NHS Government published "Culture Change in the NHS" (Cm 9009) reporting progress on all 290 recommendations. Key achievements: 19 hospitals placed in special measures; those trusts recruited 109 additional doctors and 1,805 additional nurses; 129 board-level changes made; excess avoidable deaths fell by 450 in less than a year. View source → Good Progress
  • 19 Nov 2013 · UK Government - Hard Truths Vol 1 & 2 Government published "Hard Truths: The Journey to Putting Patients First" (Cm 8777) in two volumes. Vol 1 set out new actions; Vol 2 provided detailed response to each of the 290 recommendations. Approximately 204 of 290 recommendations were fully accepted. View source → Good Progress

Each entry above links to a primary source — gov.uk written statement, consultation response document, or inspection report. The Index does not characterise government intent; it tracks what has been published.

How this page is built

Source and Response are verbatim from primary documents. The Evidence trail records published activity since — written statements, consultation outcomes, inspection findings, parliamentary references. The Index does not paraphrase or characterise intent; it tracks what has been published. Where the evidence is the absence of action (a missed deadline, a slipped timetable), that absence is documented from primary sources rather than inferred.

This recommendation's data is verified periodically against primary sources. The Index is monitored for staleness weekly.