The Sun 17 Jan 2020
HOSPITAL bosses made doctors provide fingerprints and handwriting samples to track down a whistleblower.
The move came after an anonymous letter was sent to a man about failures in the care of his late wife.
It said Susan Warby, 57, died five weeks after mistakes in bowel surgery at West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds.
The hospital is alleged to have spent £968 on a hand-writing expert and more than £15,000 on a fingerprint expert.
Medics were reportedly told if they did not comply they would be assumed to be the culprit.
Both the hospital and police launched investigations into the source of the letter at the request of the coroner. An official from the union Unison described the investigation as a “witch hunt”.
Chief executive of charity Action against Medical Accidents told the Times: “Even if this was motivated by internecine struggles between staff groups, there is no excuse for this reaction.
“The way that they started asking for fingerprints from staff was abominable and contrary to the kind of culture we want to see.”
Doctors said Health Secretary Matt Hancock “rebuffed” their concerns over their treatment.
But sources close to Mr Hancock said he had raised the issue with the trust and the Care Quality Commission.
The hospital said a probe into Mrs Warby’s care was already under way when the letter was sent in October 2018.
SHARMILA CHOWDHURY 
Ah but most doctors still back this government who ain’t enthralled by whistle blowers haven’t they learned anything at all since has its getting worse and our once proud NHS is sick itself by the stealth privatised through the back door why don’t doctors stick together and fight back against this injustice