The inquiry, announced by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley in June, aims to build on the work of an earlier independent investigation into the care provided by Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust between 2005 and 2009. [Snip] That inquiry [Snip] identified systemic failings at the hospital, where managers were preoccupied with cost-cutting and Government targets. [Snip] Appalling standards put patients at risk and between 400 and 1,200 more people died than would have been expected in a three-year period [Snip] the new inquiry would be held in public in order to combat "a culture of secrecy" and restore public confidence.