Knee Jerk Reactions

Automatic Reflex

"Jobbing Doctor for instance keeps his emails down to one line in fear of what could happen, may happen and might happen. Of course, nothing will happen but their paranoia isn't my problem"

Jobbing Doctor has now written a long email.

He is also convinced the Department of Health has pinned him up on the trouble maker list. I doubt it.

Jobbing Doctor and Pulse are reeling around flapping away after they both conducted a spectacular male f*** up by failing to check my GMC status and history! The tale and rumours of an accidental mention of a suspension continues :). Yes, now much of the internet are of the view I was suspended - and this is rather a fascinating phenomena. It shows us how one inaccurate comment on a sheet of paper can spread. This is much like one inaccurate comment written by the GMC. Suddenly, fiction becomes fact due to the wildfires of gossip and few people actually take the time to read or check the facts.

I had to laugh about the fact that one lovely GP and one superbly straight editor [who keeps avoiding the story of Ward 87 like the plague] could get such a basic thing wrong. At present, both John Robinson and JD are running around like headless chickens in an attempt to placate me. They do remind me of Laurel and Hardy. Of course, I have no intention on pouncing on any of them. It is simply fascinating to observe what one misunderstanding turns into.

All they technically had to do was look on the GMC Register - they would have found out that I wasn't suspended but administratively erased :). That would mean, I didn't pay my GMC fees. Actually, this is all anyone has to do.

I don't hold it against JD because he is lovely and as he points out, has been amazingly supportive of me. Then while Boardman has had to do little to garner the support, I have had to work pretty damned hard. That is because consultants are believed by default and it takes a bit of time for juniors to be believable. I do though get the mention on the back of Shrine Boardman. Much like I get the mention on the back of Margaret Haywood.

Despite being the longest running whistleblower, the tale has to be run on the back of others stories. I often find this a tad insulting actually. That is probably why I hardly do media appearances. Seriously, who wants to play second fiddle after working so hard and surviving such a hard road? Certainly not me. This is by no means a dig at JD, just an observation of the status quo. Dr Pal is the afterthought - a kind of " Isn't it awful it happened to Madge, it also happened to Rita". And after a decade, Ward 87 becomes a secondary afterthought and I have never understood why the reports do not stand on their own.

John Robinson is being a typical man who hasn't a clue what to do in this situation apart from try and sooth my perceived ruffled feathers. Sure John, how about naming me in Pulse and covering the Ward 87 story? Pulse is for doctors right? Ward 87 is a medical whistleblowing tale right? Pulse could cover the fact I was shovelled off into General Practise in 1998-1999 because Ward 87 was too dangerous?!

You can see them going OMG OMG, we can't do that because the only whistleblower in the NHS is Madge Haywood. Pulse has never mentioned Ward 87 in the many years they have known about it. This was the same pattern followed by their sister publication, Hospital Doctor who opted not to feature it. Then the BMJ opted not to feature it. Of course, we have to ask whether systems would have improved had they featured it. It must give them a headache to even accept that huge levels of evidence exist about Ward 87. So John Robinson, how about actually featuring a medical whistleblowing tale as opposed to tagging me at the bottom of Margaret Haywood.

How about telling doctors what the GMC have done not only to Peter Wilmshurst but to me? I know Pulse will flap about the potential of libel - and in reverse I shall say that all the material has been online for a decade or more and no one has sued.

So thats the behaviour of boys who fear something that never happens. Fears of close associations with whistleblowers, fear for themselves, fear for everything that just doesn't exist in reality. It does though exist in their minds as a second thought. For Pulse, it has existed for years. For JD, it has existed for one year.

JD admits that he has been warned about me and despite that he has featured the odd link here and there. Well, if we all listened to empty threats and warnings, nothing would get done in the world.

Pulse may well be a little miffed at this blunt narrative. Then, I am of the view that publications should tell their doctors what the actual risk of medical whistleblowing is. The actual risk is the reversal of a GMC investigation on the whistleblower.

By comparison, Liz Miller has written as follows - as everyone will note, Miller is still functional and happy and the Department of Health have not strapped her up to their railings and forced her not to associate with me :). The material below is not about her compliments but about how she does not fear all the things feared by the boys above.

And that is the difference between faith and illogical manifestations of the pariah effect. There are perceptions of whistleblowers that are stuck within the medical profession. These perceptions have no origins in logic. It is a mentality that casts the whistleblower out to sea while the rest of the audience watch him or her sail the stormy seas. It becomes much like a spectacle. Everyone knows about them but will consistently deny their existence. My existence is denied by the vast majority of medical publications. We ask ourselves why?

The above men don't have faith, they certainly do not have faith in the evidence in front of them - preferring to believe the cosmetically created whistleblower over me because the media eg Panorama tells them to. So for Pulse, it is more "acceptable" to write about Margaret Haywood and tag me as an afterthought without a name. Ward 87 deserved better really. The issues deserved to stand on their own to be counted and to serve to improve the NHS.

Miller as we all know is a different kettle of fish.

Thank you Rita, I am overwhelmed by your kind words. And I proud to call myself your friend

There are a few qualities that I believe are important if we are to be human beings rather than animals with snouts in the collective trough.

It is important to know what we believe, to speak up for those beliefs and to be willing to debate those beliefs.

It is important to support those beliefs with actions. There is nothing worse than saying one thing and doing the opposite. Any grasping loudmouthed politician can do that and there are plenty of those, in and out of medicine.

Most important is the qually of standing up for those people who have less rights, privileges and opportunities than you yourself have.

Rita, you have all of those qualities in abundance, and for those and other reasons I am proud to call you my friend.

And best of all, you make me laugh on a regular basis, which is great I love your artwork and your unique view on life.

Lizzie