Delayed Whistleblowing Syndrome at Mid Staffs Hospital By Coughing Up Managers

By Art De Rivers UserWatch Member

Health Service Journal (HSJ) in the UK deserve some credit for helping NHS managers at Mid Staffs NHS Trust to open up about the appalling standards of care . Does this mean NHS whistle blowing, though delayed beyond saving real lives previously is developing shrilling and thrilling biceps ?

HSJ have created a survey of Mid Staffs managers and shortly this piece will show links to that .

The Mid Staffordshire Hospital's extra 400 deaths (beyond the expected rate) story runs on and on and has shown probably only one consultant had the conscience and foresight to get the mortality figures looked at again. It seems the holy triple spirits of the now defunct Health Care Commission and West Mids Strategic Health Authority ( and Monitor the Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts missed the phenomenon and the 2003 credo of the then Labour's Govt's Secretary of State John Reid's :"Trust Me I am a Patient" went into the health service mortuary too

Health Service Journal :

"6 May, 2009 | Updated: 7 May, 2009 0:00 am

Around half of hospital managers and other staff believe elements of poor standards found at Mid Staffordshire foundation trust exist at their own organisation, a HSJ straw poll suggests.

Fifty-two of 103 respondents - mainly acute managers - said they recognised parts of the poor management and governance highlighted by the Healthcare Commission in March.

Forty-two said they recognised elements of the care standards that were criticised.

Source: hsj.co.uk"

HSJ's survey comes at a time when public pressure led by Julie Bailey and Cure The NHS and now with extra cross party and legal focus is building up a head of steam - and the public are seriously behind it .

Its attracted too the remainder of the Patient and Public Involvement Forum members who were a hardcore leftover from when the Government disbanded them (March 2008) for a new slushier idea of : "Local Involvement Networks" which are not performing well across the UK and some have lost all touch with serious monitoring practice .

But the National Association For LINks Members is trying to re-create some good practice even though that will be a serious mountain to climb . Mount Effectiveness has been made glassier by Gov't and Dept of Health information slides and ice ..

A day ago the public met at Mids Staffordshire though, and the results will be interesting to hear and report on .

Everyone will note in the May 5th 2009 promotion of the public Mid Staff's meeting the lawyers are in presence too ...Leigh Day Solicitors . Hmmmm... Very interesting . Out of the 400 extra dead at Mid Staffs the lawyers may yet well find a case too for corporate manslaughter ..

But Julie Bailey , of Cure the NHS : (quote)

"This site is firstly dedicated to Bella Bailey 16/02/1921 - 08/11/2007 ... and also to the many others who have lost their lives needlessly on wards in Staffordshire General Hospital. We launched this campaign after witnessing 8 weeks of elderly care in this hospital. What we saw after the first few days left us fearing for my Mother's life and too frightened to leave her. We stayed by her side sleeping on a chair for 8 weeks, because we did I believe my Mother stayed alive for those eight weeks. "

(end quote)

whose mother Bella died even though Julie tried to save her and nurse her for eight weeks has instructed Leigh Day solicitors to bring a case against the Secretary of State for Health :

"Update on Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust 01 May 2009

Cure the NHS will be holding a public meeting on 5 May 2009 to discuss the Secretary of State’s announcement to defer his decision of whether to hold a public inquiry into Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust (the Trust).

Richard Stein and Rosa Curling instructed by Julie Bailey and Chris Dalziel of Cure the NHS wrote a letter before action to the Secretary of State on 27 March 2009 stating that his decision not to hold a public inquiry into the Trust was unlawful under Article 2 and 3 of the Human Rights Act.

Source: leighday.co.uk "

No wonder the managerial birds are singing from their cages ..

A few canaries in offices may well be screaming later ..

Mind you , so did some of the patients , before they died prematurely ..

LINKS :

NALM's Previous Report On LINks In The UK

NALM pdf

NALM August 2008