Monthly Archives: March 2015

Bristol MP ‘determined upholder of NHS values of care free at the point of delivery’ – clinicians

By BrisNWNews  |  Posted: March 23, 2015
photo-1web

Charlotte Leslie with her NHS surgeon father Ian

Charlotte Leslie is a ‘determined upholder of the NHS values of care free at the point of delivery and need – not only for now, but for generations to come’.That’s the view of a group of NHS surgeons, professors and whistleblowers who put their careers on the line to keep the NHS free and safe both now and in the future. They include Professor Steve Bolsin, the anaesthetist who brought the Bristol baby heart surgery death rates into the public arena, leading to vastly reduced mortality at the Bristol Royal Infirmary as well as the implementation of clinical governance reforms in the UK. In the letter, the group say that Bristol North West MP Ms Leslie, who sits on the Health Select Committee, has been a steadfast supporter of work done to make sure NHS staff will never again have their careers put at risk because they highlighted poor practices which undermined patient safety.

 The letter says: “We write as a group of NHS campaigners for transparency, most of us whistleblowers, who have seen the worst of the NHS. 

 “Whistleblowers have suffered for the sake of protecting the interests of patients. 

 “Many of us have been through years of painful turmoil as a result of speaking up. 

 ” In such a journey, there are often few dependable friends.One of the few exceptions to this has been Charlotte Leslie MP, a woman of great decency, capability and refreshing honesty. NHS whistleblowers and cam-paigners are much indebted to her for all the support and advocacy that she has provided over the years. 

 “Without such stalwart help, the plight of NHS whistleblowers would not be as well known or understood. Ms Leslie’s abundant common sense and sense of fair play is very precious in public life, and shines through in her work on the Health Select Committee. 

 “Her support of the NHS is clear.”We know she is a determined upholder of the NHS values of care free at the point of delivery and need – not only for now, but for generations to come – and that she works hard for an NHS in which the interests of patients must be paramount.

 “Bristol is very lucky to have such a committed public servant.”
 
 Ms Leslie said: “I am humbled to have received this letter of support. As a politician, I have pas-sionately tried to ensure that we make the right decisions which will preserve a safe and free NHS for generations to come. 

 “Sadly, some opponents have decided to use the NHS for short term political gain when what we need is a mature debate to explore how this magnificent institution can flourish in the future.
 
 “At a time when I have been so misrepresented and attacked for trying to do the right thing for the NHS, it is heartening to hear that those at the sharp end in the health profession – some of whom have sacrificed their careers to preserve a quality NHS – have come out as a strong voice to say that our NHS is too important to become party political football.”

 The signatories to the letter are:
 Sir Brian Jarman, Emeritus Professor Imperial College Faculty of Medicine
 Professor Steve Bolsin Consultant Anaesthetist and whistleblower
 Gary Walker Former NHS CEO and whistleblower
 Professor Narinder Kapur Consultant Neuropsychologist and whistleblower
 Sharmila Chowdhury Former NHS Imaging Services Manager and whistleblower
 Dr Kevin Beatt Former NHS Consultant Cardiologist and whistleblower
 Lady Maha Yassaie Former NHS Chief Pharmacist for West Berkshire and whistle-blower
 Dr David Drew Former NHS Consultant Paediatrician and whistleblower
 Fiona Bell NHS whistleblower and complainant
 Dr Minh Alexander Former NHS Consultant Psychiatrist and whistleblower

 

 

Labour to create NHS staff champions to protect stressed-out nurses and give an ear to whistleblowers

The Mirror  21 March 2015   By
A new independent body to help NHS workers deal with stress and ensure patient safety is on the cards. Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham reveals all to Sunday People political editor Nigel Nelson

Matt Sprake PhotographyShadow Health Secretary, Labour MP the Rt Hon Andy Burnham
Labour’s Andy Burnham

Labour is to create a new independent NHS body to protect health workers if it wins the General Election.

They will be known as NHS staff champions and be the first port of call for whistleblowers who believe patient safety is at risk.

They will also deal with allegations of bullying or intimidation by hospital managers and senior doctors.

The move by shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham comes as new figures show nurses are now under so much pressure two in five are suffering stress.

The NHS staff survey revealed that 41% of hospital nurses and midwives are overwhelmed by their workload – a 27% increase since 2010.

And half said the ward they work on is now dangerously understaffed.

GettyNurse comforting patient in hospital bed
Nurse at work: two in five suffer stress

NHS champions will help to cut work-related stress and absence through sickness.

They will also tackle aggressive behaviour by the public which affects a third of NHS workers.

And police will get powers to issue on-the-spot fines for physical or verbal abuse of NHS staff by patients or their relatives.

Mr Burnham told the Sunday People in an exclusive interview: “We don’t care enough for the people who care for us.

“I’m going to have a big job rebuilding the morale of a shattered workforce. They’ve been ground down over the last five years.”

Julian Hamilton / Daily MirrorAndy Burnham
Burnham: NHS staff deserve our care

He will recruit 20,000 more nurses to ease the pressure paid for by a Mansion Tax on homes worth more than £2million.

Although the champions will work within the NHS they will have the same independence as the Chief Medical Officer does now.

One in seven medical staff report they have been victims of violence in the previous 12 months.

The NHS loses £1.6billion a year through sickness and it costs even more to pay agency workers up to £1,000 a weekend to replace them.

Mr Burnham added: “Hospital workers say they feel like they’re in a tunnel with no light at the end.

“They feel under the cosh, demoralised and exhausted. My first priority will be to give them a lift.”

Eight in ten NHS staff believe their own wellbeing is key to patient care. Yet they feel neglected by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

PAJeremy Hunt
Hunt: neglect

And hospitals with high rates of patient deaths also record more sickness absence.

Labour will also hire 8,000 more GPs to ease pressure on local surgeries.

Six in ten family doctors say it is now so bad they are thinking of taking early retirement.

NHS ‘whistleblower’ demands apology and comparable job

Adam BrimelowBy Adam Brimelow Health correspondent, BBC News
Gary Walker

Related Stories

A former NHS boss who says he was sacked for raising patient safety concerns has asked the health secretary for an apology and a “comparable” job.

In a letter to Jeremy Hunt, ex-United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust boss Gary Walker argues he is a whistleblower whose actions have been vindicated.

But he says he has been blacklisted from working for the health service.

The Department of Health in England says it will be looking carefully at the issues raised in the letter.

“Start Quote

I continue to be blacklisted by the NHS despite a high achieving career prior to raising concerns about patient safety”

Gary WalkerLetter to Health Secretary

Gary Walker’s letter says that, as chief executive of United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust, he warned senior health officials that patients would come to harm if it was forced to comply with NHS targets.

The letter sets out, point-by-point, why he believes he is a whistleblower, and how – in his view – this led to his dismissal and being blacklisted by the NHS.

He goes on to argue that his actions were vindicated by events, as evidence grew of rising death rates and a high number of safety incidents, but says he was “gagged” by a compromise agreement, which he broke two years ago.

Mr Walker cites recent reports that looked into whistleblowing from the health select committee of MPs and Sir Robert Francis QC as supporting his call for an apology and “practical redress”.

He writes: “The practical redress you offer will need to be individual to those who raised concerns and the harm they suffered but I would expect that whistle-blowers simply want an apology and a job that is comparable to the one they were forced from.”

‘High-achiever’

The letter is copied to the chief executive of NHS England, Simon Stevens, and shadow health secretary Andy Burnham.

It also includes a full CV which, he says represents a “highly successful career” which was ended as a result of raising concerns about patient safety and misconduct.

He says: “I continue to be blacklisted by the NHS despite a high-achieving career prior to raising concerns about patient safety.”

In response to the letter, a department of health spokesperson, said: “We want to make the NHS the safest health system in the world and creating an open and honest culture where patients and staff are listened to is vital to improving care.

“This government has made important changes to protect whistle-blowers by outlawing gagging clauses in contracts and introducing new laws in this parliament to protect those who speak up.”

The department says every NHS manager and leader is to have training on how to raise concerns.

Liverpool NHS boss who presided over ‘bullying’ and ‘blame’ culture lands new job

6 Comments
Liverpool Echo  6 March 201   By Joshua Taylor

Bernie Cuthel begins five-month secondment to health board in Wales

Bernie Cuthel, former chief executive of the Liverpool Community Health Trust NHS Trust
Bernie Cuthel, former chief executive of the Liverpool Community Health Trust NHS Trust

 

An NHS boss who resigned after a culture of “bullying” and “blame” was exposed at a Liverpool health trust has landed a new senior job in north Wales.

Bernie Cuthel stepped down as chief executive of Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust after it was slammed by regulators last year.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) issued the organisation with two warnings in January 2014 for failing to meet national welfare targets – and revealed staff on a trust-run ward at Fazakerley hospital had raised concerns over “bullying” managers and a “blame culture” that made them afraid to report incidents.

Since stepping down last April, Ms Cuthel got a new job at Manchester Mental Health and Social Care NHS Trust – and this week began a five-month secondment to the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) in Bangor.

She will work as the board’s interim director of primary, community and mental health services.

West Lancashire MP Rosie Cooper, who previously asked questions in Parliament about Ms Cuthel’s time in Liverpool, slammed the BCUHB’s decision to hire her.

The Labour politician said: “There’s a serious gap in accountability when senior executives and boards preside over a culture of bullying and intimidation.

“In the light of my investigations into the Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust, I have referred Bernie Cuthel to the CQC to ask them whether she is a fit and proper person to be involved in another NHS organisation.

“We are nowhere near the end of the investigations and litigation which will come out of the Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust.”

The CQC’s inquiry last year said staff at the Liverpool trust claimed their managers were “intimidating”, “unresponsive” and “bullying”.

A number of employees said they would not report concerns to the management team for fear of reprisals and recrimination.

Ms Cuthel stepped down in April along with the Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust’s director of nursing and human resources director.

A BCUHB spokesman said: “We advertised a secondment opportunity on the NHS Jobs website.

“Ms Cuthel applied in open competition and was deemed to be the best candidate at interview.

“Pre-employment checks, including taking up two references from her current and former employers, were completed.

“A secondment agreement has been entered into with her current employer for a period of five months.”

The BCUHB added that Ms Cuthel would not make any comment personally.