WE all have need at sometime or other of that institution that is sometimes referred to as ‘the jewel in the crown’ of the welfare state. The NHS.

So there can be few of us who did not pay some attention to the report last week by Robert Francis QC, into the truly shocking events in Mid Staffordshire.

One of the most striking aspects of the report was its finding that the scandal was not the responsibility of any set of individuals, but a corporate failure. This was the most unsatisfactory aspect of the report.

Perhaps as many as 1,000 people died unnecessarily and in appalling circumstances but no-one has been held responsible.

The Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, came back to this point yesterday and he highlighted what many observers have felt for a long time.

That the NHS is undoubtedly one of, if not the least accountable institutions in the country.

This must change.