Doctors and nurses may face jail for neglect

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Doctors and nurses found guilty of "wilful neglect" of patients could face jail, the government is proposing.

Unnecessary deaths followed unacceptable treatment at Stafford Hospital

Wilful neglect will be made a criminal offence under NHS changes to be unveiled next week following the Mid Staffordshire and other care scandals.

The offence will be modelled on one punishable by up to five years in prison under the Mental Capacity Act.

Doctors' leaders said the threat of criminal sanctions could create a climate of fear in the NHS.

The government's proposals are due to be unveiled next week.

Prime Minister David Cameron said health workers who mistreated and abused patients would face "the full force of the law" in a package of measures.

Extended law

A consultation on what scale of sentence should be applied to the extended law will be carried out over the next few months by the Department of Health.

The move was one of the central recommendations of a review of patient safety commissioned by ministers after findings that hundreds suffered unacceptable treatment at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.

It was led by Professor Don Berwick, a former adviser to US president Barack Obama, who said the measure was needed to target the worst cases of a "couldn't care less" attitude that led to "wilful or reckless neglect or mistreatment".

Mr Cameron said: "The NHS is full of brilliant doctors, nurses and other health workers who dedicate their lives to caring for our loved ones.

"But Mid-Staffordshire hospital showed that sometimes the standard of care is not good enough. That is why we have taken a number of different steps that will improve patient care and improve how we spot bad practice.

"Never again will we allow substandard care, cruelty or neglect to go unnoticed".

The British Medical Association said the move could make it more difficult for doctors and nurses to speak out against their colleagues if they thought they would go to jail as a result.