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Steve Turner

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Everything posted by Steve Turner

  1. Community Post
    I believe staff are unsafe if patients are unsafe. The two things go together. The other thing is that when staff see bad practice going unchecked and are victimised for speaking out they leave if they can. Leading to a wide variation across orgnaisations. This is behind many large scale failings in healthcare & part of a worldwide cultural and societal problem.
  2. Community Post
    For me the top 3 are: 1. An individual duty of candour enshrined in law. The current DoC holds institutions not individuals to account. 2. Prescribers held to account for failure to follow the RPS Prescribing Competency Framework. This is a competency framework for ALL prescribers. 3. More education on the implementation of the Mental Capacity Act, and holding to account those who do not follow it. I've chosen these three areas because they are measurable and link directly to high profile failings including: * The alleged cover up of the death of Robbie Powell ( a Police Report suggested 35 criminal charges & the case is with the CPS). * The case of Oliver McGowan where prescribing a medicine he had previously reacted badly too contribuited to his death. * The Gosport Hospital scandal where in June 2018, the Gosport independent panel reported that there was “a disregard for human life and a culture of shortening lives of a large number of patients” at the hospital.
  3. Content Article
    How many of you know the full history of duty of candour in healthcare in the UK? It was Will Powell who, after the tragic death of his son Robbie, brought to light that there was none. Even today we only have an institutional duty of candour in place, leaving clinicians with the right to lie as no specific law exists to prevent this.
  4. Community Post
    Good question, I don't know. Some suggestions: I tried setting up the Turn Up The Volume! movement and we held two sucessful national workshops. This, I believe, helped bring together the main themes, involve patients (who are often not involved in these type of forums) and link people together who would not have met otherwise. The workshops were attended by senior NHS people, and then shunned by the NHS. http://www.carerightnow.co.uk/turn-up-the-volume-resources-2/ I have been commissioned to conduct a few workshops on whistleblowing (looking at the situation for all angles and encouraging reflection) in NHS trusts, and once in a University. They were well received locally. The NHS Whsitleblowing Support Scheme commissioned a study by Liverpool John Moores University in 2019 'Final evaluation survey - NHS whistleblowers support scheme' I have asked several times when this is to be published but received no reply. This may shed some light on the situation. Realted NHS web page: https://improvement.nhs.uk/resources/whistleblowers-support-scheme/ It's a tough one to crack and very senior people just won't talk about the deep seated problems of victimisation and blacklisting of staff and patients, and have unlimited resources to try and keep a lid on it. As exemplified by the National Guardian's Office, which as you know I believe is a dangerously (some say deliberately) flawed initiative.
  5. Community Post
    Good points Helen and Anton02. Thank you both. I did raise an FOI on the CQC's role, which revealed that they had incorrectly dismissed my 2012 concerns as 'all third hand'. The CQC also said they had lost the report that they asked to be commissioned in response to my concerns. A report I never saw. I think there's a lot more I could 'FOI'. I've chosen not to as it would take up so much time and probably be little help. Most of the blacklisting I experienced is informal and can't be proven. In fact I could be wrong on some of it. The loss of a contract which I was awarded, and which was taken from me the day after the award without a valid reason being given, is a different matter. I chose not to take formal action on this as I didn't want to get involved in legal wrangling. I've never applied for NHS employment since leaving Assertive Outreach in 2006 (except to apply help out short-term as a covid returner, without success). Fortunately I've been lucky as I had other alternatives. I do some teaching, and support 20 Community Pharmacies on Information Governance & do clinical assessment work. It's been tough financially, but I don't regret my decision to leave and to speak out. After all, as I see it, I was just trying to do my job properly.
  6. Community Post
    Thanks Helen. This is such an emotive subject and people (staff and patients) are victimised & blacklisted for speaking out in subtle, and not so subtle, ways all the time. I appreciate your reply. I wasn't expecting any. Maybe someone will comment anomyously. Also, I welcome criticism and questions on my views & experiences, that's how we can all learn.
  7. Community Post
    Way back in March I applied to re-join the NHS to help with COVID-19. I am a mental health nurse prescriber with an unblemished clinical record. I have had an unusual career which includes working in senior management before returning to clinical work in 2002. I have also helped deliver several projects that achieved nation recognition, including one that was highly commented by NICE in 2015, and one that was presented at the NICE Annual Conference in 2018. Several examples of my work can be found on the NICE Shared Learning resource pages. Since applying as an NHS returner. I have been interviewed online 6 times by 3 different organisations, all repeating the same questions. I was told that the area of work I felt best suited to working in - primary care/ community / mental health , specialising in prescribing and multi-morbidity - was in demand. A reference has been taken up and my DBS check eventually came through. I also received several (mostly duplicated) emails. On 29th June I received a call from the acute trust in Cornwall about returning. I explained that I had specified community / primary care as I have no recent acute hospital experience. The caller said they would pass me over to NHS Kernow, an organisation I had mentioned in my application. I have heard nothing since. I can only assume the backlisting I have suffered for speaking out for patients, is still in place. If this is true (and I am always open to being corrected) it is an appalling reflection on the NHS culture in my view. Here is my story: http://www.carerightnow.co.uk/i-dont-want-to-hear-anything-bad-whistleblowing-in-health-social-care/
  8. Content Article Comment
    I'm interested to find out when the results of the evaluation study of the scheme, carried out by Liverpool John Moore's University, will be published? I've asked NHSI. Had no reply so far. If anyone has any update on this is be interested.
  9. Content Article Comment
    I believe this scheme can help some people. It's a step in the right direction in my view. I have reservations about the coaching aspect though. Many whistleblowers are well respected clinicians and able to sucessfully manage their own careers in a non-toxic environment. They were simply trying to do their job properly when they became 'whistleblowers' and, what was a patient safety issue, suddenly became an employment issue. It's the isolation and blacklisting that they can suffer that's the problem. I'm not sure how this can be overcome. Steve
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