Ward 87: Music

Sunday, 27 July 2008

Music

Ella at Ronnie Scotts. Georgia Brown

I was sent an email some time ago asking me to write my ideas on whistleblower rehabilitation or coping strategies. Today, I have been playing the piano again so I thought I would jot down a quick note about the role of music. Adrian Garfoot and I were discussing how much he loved music and how it helped him cope with the General Medical Council. Adrian plays for the medical orchestra in London.

I adore music, it rocks my boat and anything else around me. I listen to all sorts of music from Guns and Roses to Duffy. I suppose my obsession with music goes back to my past as a Clarinetist. I also managed to scrape and A for GCSE Music. We were too poor for piano lessons to I taught myself and then composed my GCSE module requirements on there. I also played in various big bands for a while until I ended up in London as a medical student. I returned back to music properly in 1998 when I was so miserable that it hurt.For months, I took refuge in my piano which I played for nights on end probably driving my neighbours round the bend. Music has always been good for the psyche or the brain. Times have changed with respect to music - these days, I never leave home without my IPOD. Yes, I am married to it.

Listening to music can reduce chronic pain by up to 21 per cent and depression by up to 25 per cent, according to a paper in the latest UK-based Journal of Advanced Nursing.

From my own experience, I find music heals my mind whenever anything affects me. I often take long drives for lengthy periods and play any sort of music. My particular favourite is Ella Fitzgerald. Music is a huge part of my life and I would recommend it to anyone. In deed, while working in psychiatry, most of my patients took to listening to music. Over the years, I have had the honour of knowing David Helfgott briefly. David was featured in the film Shine. David's PA, Caroline is a good friend of mine who lives in Australia. This is David's personal website. Yes, I do listen to David's CDs. His piano playing is amazing.

So what should I say to any whistleblowers or any doctors/patients who have fallen on tough times. It doesn't cost much to listen to music in the internet age. I would suggest music is always played, it makes the brain think in amazing ways. I often play Beethoven when I am writing GMC related papers :). Actually, may be I play Britney Spears - Hit Me Baby One More Time! For me, I find music makes me think clearly and helps me to put whatever is bothering me to one side. CD Wow is probably the cheapest source of CDs

Taking up an instrument is probably recommended. Focuses the mind on multitasking :). In addition, going to gigs is always great. Sushant Varma who is a friend of mine is always found at some Girls Aloud gig - probably studying Anatomy :). Varma tells me Orange do some good deals.

Overall, I think during times of strife and crap thrown at you by the NHS, we all forget that - actually there is a life out there - a normal one :). Discovering it makes coping with the NHS much easier. Trust me on this! Music is also the cheapest way of having a good time!

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About The Author

There is a lot of things most people can say about me but in reality I am NHS Whistleblower. In 1998, I followed the guidance set out in Good Medical Practice[GMC] and raised concerns about substandard care on Ward 87 North Staffordshire NHS Trust. I also raised concerns about the large number of Midlands Hospitals covered by West Midlands NHS Executive in 1999. Following the recordings of the HSMR scores, only Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust spiked their figures. This was due to the inordinately high death rates. These deaths could have been prevented had the government acted in 1999. There are many other hospitals with equally high death rates but 1000s have not raised the HSMR scores. The Mid Staffordshire Inquiry shows poor standards that are similar to many hospitals in the Midlands [particularly Distinct General Hospitals]. They were also the identical to the concerns raised by me in 1999, many years before.

In 2010 the CQC finally admitted that North Staffordshire had "significantly high mortality" in the years I raised concerns.

This blog follows my adventures as a whistleblower. It was written between 2008-2010. It seeks to present what the media have never done. I also aim to discuss a number of medical issues important in the NHS today. A short account of my experiences is presented here.

Essentially, I raised concerns in 1998, locally then to all the authorities, the GMC, Department of Health and Trust attempted to say there was no substance to my concerns. In 2005, I discovered that all authorities had concealed the 1998 and 2001 internal reports that verified my concerns. This is a brief step by step summary of the events related to Ward 87.

Between 2000-2002, the General Medical Council conducted a "discreet inquiry" into my Fitness to Practice. I was never told of this investigation until I discovered quite by accident following a subject access request under the Data Protection Act 1998. The GMC were subjected to litigation by me due to the illegal investigation and repeated leaks of prejudicial information to potential employers. They were beaten in court following the first litigation of its kind. The GMC settled the case in favour of me. During litigation, the GMC subjected me quite severe harassment by revolving door vexatious complaints - 2 in total. I was cleared of all of them. I was never subjected to any Fitness to Practise hearings. All complaints were thrown out at case examiner's stage despite the GMC's malevolent intentions.

The GMC subsequently erased me from the Register for non payment of subscription fees. It should be emphasized that I was never sanctioned or struck off has speculated by some bloggers. In total, I have been subjected to 4 years of complaints that had no relation to my clinical work. This has had catastrophic consequences to my work as a doctor and eventually caused the assassination of my references in 2007.

This led to the test case R v General Medical Council Ex Parte Pal with the intention of defining the definition of potential misconduct and preventing vexatious complaints against doctors. The complaints were made by Penny Mellor and her associate Fiona Wollard [ niece of Professor Sir Charles George].

While permission was granted by a judge with Employment Law experience, the final hearing was lost courtesy of Justice Sir Andrew Collins who made various statements. One was that the GMC was free to rule differently on two separate cases with exactly the same facts and the other was to widen the analysis of misconduct to include conduct outside the profession. Justice Sir Andrew Collins has sat on numerous cases related to the GMC. He has often failed to declare that his brother Dr Mark Collins was once prosecuted by the GMC for alliances in Clapham Common. Details of this can be read here.

The two diametrically opposite analysis of misconduct was also discovered following the GMC's submission to R v General Medical Council Ex Parte Remedy UK. Essentially, one analysis appears to be used for some foreign doctors and a different more lenient definition is used for establishment doctors such as Liam Donaldson. The GMC were essentially caught red handed touting two different analysis of misconduct in two cases. This discrepancy is currently being investigated by both the CHRE and the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

The defenses to all these cases have taken up 52 files. By comparison, the GMC refused to investigate the doctors on Ward 87 despite the fact that their conduct was directly related to clinical work. They continue to work in various positions in the UK. No one was held accountable despite 2 reports verifying my concerns. Moreover, the Health Commission refused to conduct a broader data study in relation to the Ward 87. The GMC and Ombudsman refused to inform the patients on the Ward of the 1998 and 2001 Reports. The Sentinel newspapers refused to feature a legitimate advert.

In 2009, after discussion with Dr Phil Hammond, he wrote an excellent piece in Private Eye. While the media have provided little or no support for these issues, I am indebted to my fellow bloggers - Dr Rant, The Jobbing Doctor, Dr John Crippen and Witchdoctor. This blog exists to protect other doctors who I hope will never tread the path of whistleblowing. It is a path paved with injustice. It also serves to show the public that they cannot legitimately expect doctors to raise concerns in such a dangerous terrain. This indeed places patient safety in great jeopardy.

This blog ended in February 2010 as it was unlikely that I would ever return to medicine. I have also decided to end this particular saga here. I hope this blog will educate, entertain and remind the public that whistleblowing is a dangerous escapade and no junior doctor has treaded the same path as I have for a reason. The terrain is unsafe and always has been. I would say that I have been relatively unsupported in my journey through whistleblowing but singlehandedly I have been able to undercover evidence and establish some very important issues regarding the dangers of whistleblowing. I have ceased to respond to the media but I am always very happy to discuss matters with the public.

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Sunday, 27 July 2008

Music

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