SIR – It is absolutely evident that our care system has completely broken down when healthcare professionals tell us their core values have laid “dormant or dead and buried under a culture of bureaucracy and targets”.

Reporting of poor standards of care by patients, families and by staff at all levels must be encouraged and supported within a culture of openness and transparency, and acted upon without fear of repercussions or neglect.

While regulations and inspections are important, these will not deliver the consistent improvements in hospitals and care settings that the Francis Report demands. What is required is a radical ‘cultural shift’.

Life Story work embedded in daily practice underpins the provision of high-quality compassionate care and enables every care organisation to make that shift. High-quality, safe care is all about the relationships we establish and foster with individuals and families.

All of us involved in care have a moral and legal obligation to ensure the highest standard of care is received by all patients. Regulation and inspection are required to underpin those obligations. This shift is essential if we are to regain the public trust in our health and care system.

Anna Gaughan, Chief Executive, Life Story Network