The South Belfast MLA said: “This is sadly just the latest review, following that into Serious Adverse Incidents and the Independent Neurology Inquiry, to have found inadequate clinical leadership, lack of transparency and, particularly, a failure to prioritise patient safety.

“While many of the recommendations have been accepted and implemented, the major concern is that the themes coming up in these reviews are the same and that patient safety is consistently flagged.

“Fundamentally, as happened in England after the Cumberlege Report commissioned by the UK Government, the case now seems clear for a Patient Safety Commissioner to champion patients’ interests and ensure that patient safety is the number one priority at all levels of health and social care. A consultation on this, perhaps based on work already done in Scotland should now proceed without delay.”