Clive Bowden

Hi Steve, I’m so sorry to read of your blacklisting. Not at all nice for you and also a great waste of such valuable knowledge, experience and expertise. It happens, such blacklisting. I’ve been certain of that for some time. The very best journalism has brought it to our attention. I'm a patient. The local mental health team, Trust and the CCG that commissions their healthcare have blacklisted and savagely victimised me. It is open, flagrant refusal to provide any of the treatment for /assistance with overcoming, serious, long-term depression despite my being classed 'Acute', following a formal complaint to the CCG. The conduct of the Mental Health Team left me no alternative but to raise a complaint, but I was a gentleman throughout the process and the counter-productive treatment that preceded it. No mean feat under the circumstances. My experience of the NHS as an institution, in the few months before my formal complaint was disturbing enough. The complaint appeared to be handled appropriately and the meeting with the Trust and CCG a couple of months later left me feeling grateful, very flattered and also confident that all would now be splendid with the treatment/assistance provided me by the mental health team, within reason of course. I returned, or at least tried only to find that whenever I engaged to receive the healthcare or enquire regarding some specifics agreed in the meeting, I was subjected to brutal hostility by all staff on the team to the exclusion of any treatment or assistance whatsoever. From the CCG I got nothing but gibberish, excuses, vague and insincere assurances, and outright nonsense on the rare occasions they responded to my communications. Then they too turned very hostile when I would not let it go. They have since resorted to lies, and increasingly dirty tricks which persist as I exhaust all formal means of holding them to account. It must be very scary being honest decent, professional and compassionate in the NHS. There was one such individual in the CCG. I could tell. She was uncomfortable with the conduct demanded of her, but complied nevertheless. There’s no place for scepticism, no need for proof, witnesses, plausibility, or credibility. Critical thinking to any extent is abandoned altogether. Clearly no concern for the injustices that result, the distress harm and death inflicted upon their victims and their victims’ families and friends. No problem sleeping at night either going by the enthusiasm with which most get stuck in. Where do they find such hatred? And the lengths the CCG have gone to since to make my life hell. They stop at nothing. My GP too. Her transformation I found shocking, difficult to process and very painful. I still do. She had gone way above and beyond to ensure I did not escape a thorough consultation with her once I had brought my state of mind to her attention. Very impressive. And the urgency with which she argued I accept referral for secondary care...I only argued against it as often children in need of such care do not receive it promptly or at all. She was a paragon of compassion and professionalism. Then almost out of the blue upon my call to her upon another matter, theatrically mean, unprofessional, unwilling to be of any assistance and determined only to convey disgust and contempt. All very distressing and bewildering. My GP in particular as that was before my formal complaint and a reaction, it transpired, to a false allegation about which I knew nothing at that time. The matter: Living, altruistic, non-directed kidney donation and my desire to apply following the interest I’d registered a few years earlier. I kid you not. I switched to another GP and ...I could go on and on. Suffice to say whether primary or secondary care, Trust or CCG, receptionist or senior psychiatric consultant; everyone is singing from the same song sheet of ill-treatment and wilful neglect and with the self-confidence/assurance that comes with the certainty that they have the entire NHS, PHSO, Police, Parliament, CPS and Courts etc, and even the third sector on their side (I'm holding out some faith in the CQC). Someone very prominent, a national hero and deservedly so said to me "Clive you're wasting your time. They (NHS and the organisations that govern it) will NEVER change." She should know. Another hero Della Reynolds asks publicly "Why is there not public outcry?!". Well...I'm intelligent enough. I keep abreast of current affairs. I knew of the maternity scandals, Mid Staffs, Ian Paterson and so on, but must concede that I was deluded. I felt certain that while the health service is clearly flawed, institutionally a little disturbing yes and in desperate need of fundamental restructuring; lessons would nevertheless have been learnt. Also, that a pledge is a pledge, that people are naturally inclined to be professional, benevolent and that if all else fails we have Sections 20 to 25 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act, 2015. Legislation! It is now a criminal offense to attempt to kill patients. I challenge anyone to make an attempt to report to Police an offence under that legislation. See how you get on. Compare your experience to that which the Victims' Code states we can expect. I doubt there's a solution Steve, which is depressing. I'm heartened that you have the character, initiative and resolve to minimise the impact on your career and quality of life.