Care services minister Paul Burstow has encouraged those in nurse manager jobs to ensure staff have the right attitudes to meet the goals of the NHS' white paper.

In his interview with Nursing Times Mr Burstow said that the care and dignity patients received had little to do with a hospital's staffing levels and was related more the culture on the wards.

His comments came as the Department of Health celebrated the appointment of more than 22,000 dignity champions who work hard to ensure all patients experience a good level of health and social care.

The dignity champions are made up of a range staff members, counsellors and volunteers as well as service users, carers and members of the public.

Mr Burstow acknowledged that there were a number of examples of good practise, many of which had been carried out by nurses, but said dignity champions had been introduced because a culture of "targets and tick boxes" had dis-empowered those staff members working on the front line.

"It's not just about creating x numbers of staff but staff with the right attitudes, empathy and understanding. The government can do so much by providing the overall resources."

"We can't shape the culture- that has to be led by clinical leaders, by managers and by practitioners themselves being clear what their ethos is and translating that into practice," he added.

Mr Burstow added that good practise supported by the right cultures would be an important aspect of the direction a new white paper will promote.