Ward 87: Professor Gillian Needham Scans Mr David G Currie

Wednesday, 3 September 2008

Professor Gillian Needham Scans Mr David G Currie

The Romantic Garve Hotel.
Double and Single beds.
Reasonably priced.
Will call an ambulance if you are dying of
communal hemlock poisoning

It has come to my attention that Prof Gillian Needham and Mr David G Currie share the same house [according to the electoral roll]. With them is a chap called Alexander but no one else. I have no idea about Hemlock hunting. The summary of the story so far has been done done by Jobbing Doctor and witchdoctor.

This is what one of our readers had to say about the curious situation of Highland Hemlock hunting

"Currie was caught trying to escape. He had two choices. Which, when left on a deserted hillside with no hope of escape, would you choose Death or the Needham??"

This is what happened

"He and his companion both complained of feeling ill during their journey back home on the A9. They reached the Garve Hotel, in Wester Ross, where they called an ambulance"

Perhaps married people do it or perhaps single and married people do it, perhaps good friends do it. One thing is for sure, Hemlock hunting is a dangerous liaison. Perhaps someone could clarify this curious issue for us. Despite a number of degrees between all of us, we have yet to figure out the sleeping arrangements of these two doctors. Single beds of course.

One thing is for sure, they Hemlock hunt together and they post on the BMJ Rapid Responses together.

This is what she said

"Like you (?) I take the money...and thanks.

But the fact is really I'm grateful: to be working in a national health service that values my contribution as a consultant irrespective of my specialism; for the privilege of responsibility, control and complexity; for the support of my team of other professionals who are not paid so 'handsomely' but struggle with uncertainty nevertheless; and for the security of employment that my non-medical children will never know.

If I'm honest, I'd do this job for half my current salary and be happy. I do wonder if I'm not alone there?

See you in the car park....or better still the bike park."

All Loved up with Mrs Currie in the Highlands

David G Currie though is a highly intelligent, stable, well meaning neurosurgeon who is clearly excellent at his job. I wonder what he thinks of our SpR who remains suspended due to one brief comment. It is a bit like the brief accident with Hemlock really. One mistake may have killed him but someone saved him. The question is, who is going to save Dr Scot Jnr?

Professor Gillian Needham is also director of the MDDUS. That would explain why they visit our blogs/websites in search of her.

The emails below are extremely amusing. All parties are now synchronising to avoid responding to the question put to them. Of course, nothing in life is secret forever :).

----- Original Message -----

From: "Gillian Needham" <Gillian.Needham@nes.scot.nhs.uk>

To: "Rita Pal" <dr.ritapal@googlemail.com>

Cc: "Frank Rankin" <Frank.Rankin@nes.scot.nhs.uk>

Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2008 11:54 AM

Subject: Re: xxxxxxxx

Dear Dr Pal,

I have forwarded your request to NHS Education for Scotland's Information Governance Manager who deals with FOI requests.

Prof Gillian Needham
Postgraduate Dean NHS Education for Scotland North of Scotland Deanery Forest Grove House Forresterhill Aberdeen
UK AB25 2ZP
PA: 01224 553970 Fax: 01224 550670
Preserve our environment, only print this email if you must >>>

Rita Pal <dr.ritapal@googlemail.com> 02/09/08 17:59 >>>

Prof Needham, Please confirm whether or not xxxxxxx still remains suspended from his workplace. Please also confirm when you are planning to reinstate him. This is a Freedom of Information Act 2000 request. Many thanks Regards Dr Rita Pal For NHS Exposed.com

----- Original Message -----

From: "Christine Patch" <Christine.Patch@nes.scot.nhs.uk>

To: <dr.ritapal@googlemail.com>

Cc: "Peter Taylor" <Peter.Taylor@nes.scot.nhs.uk>

Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2008 11:25 AM

Subject: Email to Peter Taylor

Dear Dr Pal

I have been forwarded your email to Peter Taylor below.

"Mr Taylor

I writing to make a formal complaint regarding Professor Gillian Needham.

Before I do so, I would like confirmation on whether xxxxxx remains suspended at the current time. I understand that your department have been reluctant to answer this question, therefore I am requesting a response under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

There is currently a complaint presented to the General Medical Council. Are you happy to accept a complaint while this is ongoing? Please confirm whether there is a time limit for complaints to yourselves."

Mr Taylor is currently on leave and I am responding on his behalf. He returns on 8 September and we will bring his attention to your question on accepting a complaint.

As a matter of clarification, NES does not employee trainee doctors and has therefore no powers of suspension, Those reside with the relevant employing board.

Regards

Christine Patch

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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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Wednesday, 3 September 2008

Professor Gillian Needham Scans Mr David G Currie

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