Statement from Stephen Morgan MP on Gosport War Memorial Hospital
“I am truly shocked by the horrific findings of the Gosport Independent Panel. The Panel found that the lives of over 450 patients were shortened by clinically inappropriate use of opioid analgesics, with an additional 200 lives also likely to have been shortened if missing medical records are taken into account.
The courageous whistle-blowers in our NHS and the families of victims were systematically ignored. Their bravery should be applauded, but more importantly, rewarded with our attention to their entirely legitimate and urgent concerns as well as the catalogue of failings that led to these being disregarded.
Today I spoke in the House on behalf of my constituents to thank the Secretary of State for his apology and press him for detail on support for the families affected. I’ll continue to speak up for those who lost loved ones as the true extent of this appalling revelation unfolds.
There are clearly wider lessons to be learned regarding the governance of smaller NHS organisations and how we can better support and encourage NHS staff when they do raise serious issues of concern.
Nevertheless, it’s important that today’s announcement does not overshadow the remarkable contribution made by NHS frontline workers across the Solent and up and down our country and I welcome the Secretary of State’s pledge to leave no stone unturned to restore people’s trust in our local services.”
