NHS will be 'safest healthcare in the world', Hunt pledges

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt set out his "vision" for the future of the NHS

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said he will make the NHS the "safest healthcare system in the world".

He plans to invite staff from a top US hospital to "spend time and share ideas" with five English trusts.

The Virginia Mason Institute is considered to have transformed its care following the death of a patient due to a medical error.

The selected trusts are in Shropshire, Warwickshire, Essex, Surrey and Sussex, and Leeds.

Trusts taking part in the scheme

• University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust

• Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust

• Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust

• Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

• Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust

The plans will see staff from the Seattle hospital spend time and share ideas in an attempt to reduce the 800 "avoidable" deaths that happen every month in hospitals in England.

Unveiling the plans in central London, Mr Hunt said: "I want to make the NHS the safest healthcare system in the world, powered by a culture of learning and continuous improvement.

"The achievements at Virginia Mason over the past decade are truly inspirational and I'm delighted they will now help NHS staff to learn the lessons that made their hospital one of the safest in the world - patients will see real benefits as a result."