Johnson statement on Stafford Hospital

Health Secretary Alan Johnson has apologised to the Commons following a Healthcare Commission report which found that emergency care at Stafford Hospital had been "appalling".

Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said the NHS "abjectly failed to listen to what patients and relatives were telling them about what was happening at the hospital".

Lib Dem health spokesman Norman Lamb told MPs that the report was "a horrifying indictment of the way that targets are placing financial goals ahead of patient care".