Too many patients are being let down by the NHS through poor care because of the difficulty changing the "culture" of the NHS, the Patients Association has said.
Its report 'Stories from the present, lessons for the future', catalogues accounts of those who have experienced poor care in hospitals and care homes around the country.
They were said to represent a "snapshot" of the poor care still experienced by patients and reflect major shortcomings in the NHS that can only be tackled by a culture change on hospital wards and in Westminster.
The Patients Association's chief executive Katherine Murphy said: "The sad conclusion of this report is that still far too many patients are being shockingly let down by the NHS every day.
"As we stand on the brink of the most radical shake up of the NHS in generations, a new culture of care with a commitment and priority from trust boards needs to be put at the heart of the health service - for those who do not, appropriate action needs to happen."
The NHS Confederation's chief executive Mike Farrar commented: "The stories in this report are shocking and deeply distressing.
"Our purpose is to care and we need to take responsibility for the issues that really matter to the people who use our services. We should never excuse poor standards of care and we need to take bold and decisive action when we see it happening."
He added: "We accept the public's challenge on raising standards, and we accept that the NHS has to do better to deal with these issues. We need to ensure that the care provided to every NHS patient is of the standards of the best."
