Nursing grievances - Telegraph In 2008 Lord Mancroft was roundly criticised for daring to complain about the quality of nursing care he had experienced as a patient in Bath's Royal United Hospital. In a House of Lords debate on NHS care, the Conservative peer had said he was appalled by the hygiene standards he witnessed on the wards and the poor quality of the nursing. He also spoke disparagingly of the personal behaviour of some of the nurses who had cared for him. David Cameron led the way in criticising his comments, saying that Lord Mancroft should have thought more carefully "before opening his mouth." Compare this reaction to that which greeted the Labour MP Ann Clwyd last week when she spoke movingly of the way her husband had died "like a battery hen" at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff. Miss Clwyd talked of the "indifference and contempt" shown by nursing staff during her husband's final days. Far from facing criticism, her words have touched a chord with the public. She said yesterday that she had been so overwhelmed by the public response she intends to campaign on the issue. There are many excellent nurses in the NHS but it has long been apparent that poor nursing is not some isolated incident but is widespread in many hospitals. Something fundamental has gone wrong with the way nurses are trained and managed. Yet to say as much has, until now, invited the charge of being hostile to the health service. This heartfelt intervention by a prominent Labour politician may finally encourage a more realistic debate on the subject. It is significant that Jeremy Hunt chose to address the issue head-on recently in his first major speech as Health Secretary. Accepting that there is a problem has taken far too long. For the sake of the NHS, solutions must be found more speedily.