10 years was a long time ago but for me it seems like yesterday. Over the years, I have often felt that justice would come to those who died on Ward 87. Sadly, it never did. It is true that I obtained trickles of evidence under the limitations I was placed under but in the end even after all these years, there was never any accountability. I am a NHS Whistleblower and with it comes its stigma. I think I have survived it fairly well. Life is never easy for any whistleblower as shown by the Shipman Inquiry. Ironically, it was the changes at the GMC following Shipman that finally ended my career as a doctor. These changes did not catch the next Harold Shipman because the GMC did not even take up the complaints in this case.It amuses me to note that Dame Janet Smith's suggestions caught the whistleblower. Well, the GMC caught me then released me. It was that final irony. The next irony was that I lost my job and my career after I had attempted to support doctors who had offices on Ward 87 [now a paediatric unit] following its shut down in 2005.
Nevertheless, I think that 9 years was a fairly good survival time for any whistleblower. I can only say the journey has been very long, very hard but educational. It wasn't of course how I envisaged life to be but it has been an interesting journey. I say educational because I have tested each system that holds the NHS accountable and each authority has failed miserably. I have always believed in transparency and accountability. Both have lacked in all organisations I raised this issue with. I discovered for instance that a whistleblower cannot report their concerns to the Coroner. I discovered that a whistleblower cannot report their concerns to the Health Commission. I discovered that the MPs in Stoke on Trent lied to me. I discovered that the local paper blocked an advert to inform the people of Stoke on Trent of these problems. I discovered many things about whistleblowing. I discovered first and foremost that not many people cared about the deaths on Ward 87. I also discovered that the hospital would refuse to tell the relatives what had happened. The GMC, Health Commission, Ombudsman, MPs, Police and Coroner would refuse to tell all relatives of the two reports that verified my concerns. Of course, we know that the management at North Staffordshire NHS Trust conceals far more than this. The Nursing and Midwifery Council amusingly told me that they could not identify the neglectful nurses. This charade continued until I pointed out the page numbers of the report containing the names.
I decided to write about these discoveries as a preliminary to the book The Discreet Inquiry. The reason for this is because I think the public should know what the NHS is capable of. It is capable of concealing the deaths of hundreds of patients without feeling an ounce of remorse.
Nevertheless, I think that 9 years was a fairly good survival time for any whistleblower. I can only say the journey has been very long, very hard but educational. It wasn't of course how I envisaged life to be but it has been an interesting journey. I say educational because I have tested each system that holds the NHS accountable and each authority has failed miserably. I have always believed in transparency and accountability. Both have lacked in all organisations I raised this issue with. I discovered for instance that a whistleblower cannot report their concerns to the Coroner. I discovered that a whistleblower cannot report their concerns to the Health Commission. I discovered that the MPs in Stoke on Trent lied to me. I discovered that the local paper blocked an advert to inform the people of Stoke on Trent of these problems. I discovered many things about whistleblowing. I discovered first and foremost that not many people cared about the deaths on Ward 87. I also discovered that the hospital would refuse to tell the relatives what had happened. The GMC, Health Commission, Ombudsman, MPs, Police and Coroner would refuse to tell all relatives of the two reports that verified my concerns. Of course, we know that the management at North Staffordshire NHS Trust conceals far more than this. The Nursing and Midwifery Council amusingly told me that they could not identify the neglectful nurses. This charade continued until I pointed out the page numbers of the report containing the names.
I decided to write about these discoveries as a preliminary to the book The Discreet Inquiry. The reason for this is because I think the public should know what the NHS is capable of. It is capable of concealing the deaths of hundreds of patients without feeling an ounce of remorse.
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