There are alarming parallels between the care scandal in Mid-Staffordshire and the recent revelations of abuse in Rotherham.

In both instances, there was a disregard by senior managers for the interests of vulnerable and disenfranchised people – in Stafford, elderly patients in hospital; in Rotherham, looked-after children.

There were performance management systems which prioritised financial management and process targets, rather than the effectiveness and safety of care. And finally, there were accountability arrangements in which nobody seems to have prioritised scrutiny of outcomes for those receiving services.