Internal Discussions Regarding the Lack of Mortality Statistics
The important aspect about Ward 87 is the fact that its death rate was never recorded. The emails below stipulated that "The Information is not routinely recorded"
So, why am I talking about this issue 10 years down the line? Well, death rate is important. It tells us whether there are any particular problems in a ward. Death rate is also known as Mortality Rate. Anyone who has done statistics knows the calculation. That is everyone apart from the Trust minions at North Staffordshire NHS Trust who cleverly hoodwinked the police when they attended a few years ago. Ken Raper, a senior officer is of the view that he believes in justice. Ken Raper, a senior police officer cannot tell when a Trust is pulling the wool over his eyes. Perhaps Ken simply wants the wool pulled over his eyes. Afterall, he does not have to investigate what he ignores. It was similar to Staffordshire Police's contact with the Trust some years ago. They rang the Trust up and stated " Are there any problems with patient care". The Trust responded " No". The Police said " Ok, let us know if there are any problems". It is a bit like the police asking a criminal to report his crimes. The precedent here in any investigation of corporate manslaughter is this - the hospital can make up any statistics, the police will never check it and will believe it completely. In their view, Trusts never lie :). Of course, North Staffordshire NHS Trust didn't only harbour a terrorist in their heyday but continuously lie.
The first time I met Mr Raper was at a small town likened to Midsummer Murders. Raper never had any intention of investigating. He had every intention of charming his way out of a inconvenient situation and providing the cup of sympathy for the plight of whistleblower. Raper though is clever. He crowed away about how they were the best police force in town. Of course, this wonderful police force had no idea about death rate or how it was calculated. They neither checked the figures nor did they bother about whether it was accurate or not. So, while he was being clever, I faced him with the Statistics question. There was that blank look that the police give you until they shove you out of the room :).
Of course, death rates are important. Calculating the right death rates with the right formulae is also important. Neither the Police or the Trust did this. I say this of course because Ward 87 is just one ward. It is not compulsory to record the death rate of patients nationwide. So the broad spectrum outlook on this issue is this - if it is not recorded, there is no way of detecting poor levels of care for improvement, moreover there is no way of detecting the next Harold Shipman. So mortality statistics is another concept omitted by the Shipman Inquiry.
Essentially, in this case, Ken Raper never sought a medical opinion, he never sought a statistics opinion, he never sought to interview relevant people and he never sought to obtain the internal documents within the Trust. He based his decision on a half baked redacted copy :). I obtained most of it through the Information Commissioner after my meeting with Ken Raper. Ken Raper and Staffordshire Police failed to do so. That of course is the standard of the police today. To complete matters, I reported these issues to his Chief Constable. Of course, his Chief Constable was so embarassed that he hid under his table and still has not mustered up the courage to respond - probably because he cannot find his pen after 2 years. So, for all those who do visit Staffordshire Police, just remember, do be ready for the Keystone Cops.
As I explained to Raper before I left, this is on his conscience because I discharged my responsibility in 1998. The fact that thousands died unnecessarily due to corporate manslaughter is irrelevant to Mr Raper :). As I drove back from our last meeting, I had hoped that when he is an elderly man in his eighties, he is placed in a ward like Ward 87 and left to lie in his urine, left to be infected with MRSA and he may meet the same fate as many patients on Ward 87. And when he dies, no one will care just like the destinity of those on Ward 87. I am of course a great believer in karma and a good observer of human behaviour. I also know the difference between death rate and simply writing down "numbers". The detectives clearly failed to spot the difference :).
The first time I met Mr Raper was at a small town likened to Midsummer Murders. Raper never had any intention of investigating. He had every intention of charming his way out of a inconvenient situation and providing the cup of sympathy for the plight of whistleblower. Raper though is clever. He crowed away about how they were the best police force in town. Of course, this wonderful police force had no idea about death rate or how it was calculated. They neither checked the figures nor did they bother about whether it was accurate or not. So, while he was being clever, I faced him with the Statistics question. There was that blank look that the police give you until they shove you out of the room :).
Raper was told by Staffordshire Police to keep a lid on this issue. He did that almost charmingly. The death he refused to consider is currently being considered by other parties :). Anyway, I felt it was entertaining to feature the internal discussions at the Trust about their failure to keep death rates regarding the ward. Was it because people died like flies and no one kept a track?
Of course, death rates are important. Calculating the right death rates with the right formulae is also important. Neither the Police or the Trust did this. I say this of course because Ward 87 is just one ward. It is not compulsory to record the death rate of patients nationwide. So the broad spectrum outlook on this issue is this - if it is not recorded, there is no way of detecting poor levels of care for improvement, moreover there is no way of detecting the next Harold Shipman. So mortality statistics is another concept omitted by the Shipman Inquiry.
Essentially, in this case, Ken Raper never sought a medical opinion, he never sought a statistics opinion, he never sought to interview relevant people and he never sought to obtain the internal documents within the Trust. He based his decision on a half baked redacted copy :). I obtained most of it through the Information Commissioner after my meeting with Ken Raper. Ken Raper and Staffordshire Police failed to do so. That of course is the standard of the police today. To complete matters, I reported these issues to his Chief Constable. Of course, his Chief Constable was so embarassed that he hid under his table and still has not mustered up the courage to respond - probably because he cannot find his pen after 2 years. So, for all those who do visit Staffordshire Police, just remember, do be ready for the Keystone Cops.
As I explained to Raper before I left, this is on his conscience because I discharged my responsibility in 1998. The fact that thousands died unnecessarily due to corporate manslaughter is irrelevant to Mr Raper :). As I drove back from our last meeting, I had hoped that when he is an elderly man in his eighties, he is placed in a ward like Ward 87 and left to lie in his urine, left to be infected with MRSA and he may meet the same fate as many patients on Ward 87. And when he dies, no one will care just like the destinity of those on Ward 87. I am of course a great believer in karma and a good observer of human behaviour. I also know the difference between death rate and simply writing down "numbers". The detectives clearly failed to spot the difference :).
1 comments:
"Ken Raper, a senior police officer cannot tell when a Trust is pulling the wool over his eyes. Perhaps Ken simply wants the wool pulled over his eyes. Afterall, he does not have to investigate what he ignores."
I know quite a few police officers like that. In fact most of them. Don't forget, they have a duty of care to the offender. It's more important than their duty of care to the victim which is not enshrined in law. Tch. Victims of crime are so inconvenient, they do things like get hurt and die. So messy.
Post a Comment