Speaking up for patient safety - Gordon Caldwell in conversation with Peter Duffy and Helen Hughes

Summary

In this podcast interview series, NHS whistleblower Peter Duffy and Patient Safety Learning’s Chief Executive Helen Hughes explore how the healthcare system responds when its staff raise concerns about patient safety. In each episode, Helen and Peter interview someone who has spoken up about patient safety issues in healthcare organisations, or who works to help staff raise concerns where they see unsafe care.

In this episode, Peter and Helen speak to consultant endocrinologist Gordon Caldwell, who retired early from the NHS after speaking up about patient safety concerns in his hospital. Gordon shares his experience of raising concerns about unsafe staffing levels while working as a clinical lead and how this led to extreme stress and the decision to retire years before he had planned to. They discuss the importance of transparency, team work and clear record-keeping processes to ensure patients are kept safe and Gordon outlines how lack of accessible patient health records hinders decision-making and can lead to avoidable harm. They also look at how target-led approaches and financial incentives have led to cultural changes in healthcare organisations over the past few decades.

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View a transcript of this interview

Read a blog from Peter and Helen about the interview series

Content

About the Author

Gordon Caldwell qualified from King's College Hospital Medical School in 1980 and trained in general medicine, diabetes and endocrinology, becoming a Consultant in Worthing Hospital in 1993. Gordon developed further interests in medical education and quality and safety in healthcare, setting up initiatives in training and patient safety in the workplace, making rapid changes based on feedback from staff and patients. His team's greatest contribution was developing structured clinical reviews of patients' progress on ward rounds, which was incorporated into a standardised daily progress report to be filed in patient records.