I was in Israel a couple of weeks ago, visiting hi-tech companies where failure is seen as a key stage of learning on anyone’s CV. It was with that in mind that I visited the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust’s new chairman, Sir David Nicholson.

Sir David has come under a great deal of criticism for his handling, when head of the NHS, of the Mid Staffs crises and his reluctance to meet with victims’ families. I was keen to find evidence that he has learnt from his mistakes. Importantly, I wanted to see that he recognises what he does well and can build on this to deliver the outcomes we need for our local hospitals.

Frankly, we need someone pretty red-hot at running the trust: it has been in special measures for some time, has had a succession of managers, has just received a poor rating on a recent CQC inspection, and has lacked direction for nearly as long as I have been an MP.

Yet our hospitals are staffed by individuals who are recognised as being fantastic – not just by patients and families who report back to me, but also by the Care Quality Commission. These staff members have been demoralised by poor decisions. So what will Sir David Nicholson do as the new chair?

He’s a straight-talking guy. We discussed the problems and he raised morale as a key issue. He also recognised that the management may have good ideas to improve things but lack the skill to connect good intention with deliverable outcomes.

He raised his mistakes with me before I raised them with him – and he didn’t miss anything out. Importantly, he has a vested interest in our hospitals being safe and successful – he and his family live in Worcestershire.

But I also wanted to meet with the Health Secretary and my colleagues from across the county. Jeremy Hunt is acutely aware of the problems and he is as frustrated as we. He put Sir David in place because he believes that he is the man for the job; who knows the NHS inside out; who did a good job with the winter crises; and who knows how to get things done.

We will support Sir David get what he needs to make our hospitals better. So, we will get behind him, give him the benefit of the doubt, and help make him a success – for all our sakes.