Whistleblowers sacked by NHS fear no change after Lucy Letby case

NHS clinicians who were sacked after blowing the whistle about avoidable patient deaths say they fear lessons from the Lucy Letby murder trial have not been learned and the case will make no difference to their own claims for unfair dismissal.

They say hospital bosses are still more concerned about reputation than patient safety, despite what emerged in the Letby case about the tragic consequences of ignoring consultants who first raised suspicions about her killing babies.

Mansoor Foroughi is appealing against his dismissal by University Hospital Sussex NHS trust in December 2021 after raising concerns about patient deaths. 

Mansoor Foroughi, a consultant neurosurgeon, was sacked by University Hospital Sussex NHS trust (UHST) in December 2021 for allegedly acting in bad faith when he raised the alarm about 19 deaths and 23 cases of serious patient harm that he said had been covered up in the previous six years. Those deaths and at least 20 others are now being investigated by Sussex police after allegations of medical negligence.

Foroughi, whose appeal against his dismissal is due to be held in the coming months, told the Guardian: “I don’t think mine or anyone’s chances of success has increased [after Letby], and only a change in the law will do that.”

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Source: The Guardian, 1 September 2023