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Showing results for tags 'Speaking up'.
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News Article
Surgeon claims Bath's RUH 'covered up' patient blinding
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A surgeon sacked by a hospital after raising safety concerns has accused the trust of a cover-up after a patient was partially blinded during an operation. Juanita Graham, 41, lost the sight in her left eye during an operation at Bath's Royal United Hospital (RUH) in 2019. She is now suing the trust. Serryth Colbert said he was put down as the lead author on an investigation into the incident, but said he "did not write a word" of it. Mr Colbert has described the hospital investigation into Mrs Graham's operation as "deeply flawed". The surgeon, who specialises in the head, neck, face and jaw, has made several serious allegations about patient safety at the RUH, and believes these claims led to him being regarded as a troublemaker and dismissed in October 2023. Mrs Graham, from Trowbridge, said she was still traumatised by the operation on her eye. "I remember coming round, seeing the time and felt like a gush and I couldn't see," she said. "The next time I remember waking up again, I thought it was my partner but it was a surgeon and he was crying. I said 'what's gone wrong?'". After the operation, a Root Cause Analyses (RCA) report produced by the trust said the hospital was not to blame, although it did say the risks could have been explained more clearly to Mrs Graham. Mr Colbert, whose name was added as the lead investigator, said his only involvement in the report was when he was called on the phone by a nurse, who he said did the RCA, to explain what the operation involved. The 48-year-old surgeon said: "I have been put down here to my amazement as the lead author on this. "That is not correct. I did not write a word of this. "The conclusion is the root cause of the complication was down to a bit of paperwork which could have been performed a bit better. "The root cause was not down to paperwork. It was all covered up... that was indefensible." Read full story Source: BBC News, 29 February 2024 -
News ArticleWhistleblower Dr Chris Day has won the right to appeal when a a Deputy High Court Judge Andrew Burns of the Employment Appeal Tribunal granted permission to appeal the November 2022 decision of the London South Employment Tribunal on six out of ten grounds at a hearing in London. The saga which has now being going on for almost ten years began when Dr Day raised patient safety issues in intensive care unit at Woolwich Hospital in London. The Judge said today this was of the “utmost seriousness” and were linked to two avoidable deaths but their status as reasonable beliefs were contested by the NHS for 4 years using public money. In a series of twists and turns at various tribunals investigating his claims Dr Day has been vilified by the trust not only in court but in a press release sent out by the trust and correspondence with four neighbouring trust chief executives and the head of NHS England, Dr Amanda Pritchard and local MPs. This specific hearing followed a judgement in favour of the trust by employment judge Anne Martin at a hearing which revealed that David Cocke, a director of communications at the trust, who was due to be a witness but never turned up, destroyed 90,000 emails overnight during the hearing. A huge amount of evidence and correspondence that should have been released to Dr Day was suddenly discovered. The new evidence showed that the trust’s chief executive, Ben Travis, had misled the tribunal when he said that a board meeting which discussed Dr Day’s case did not exist and that he had not informed any other chief executive about the case other than the documents that were eventually disclosed to the court. Read full story Source: Westminster Confidential, 26 February 2024
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Content Article
This month marks two years of the hub's Patient Safety Spotlight interview series. Patient Safety Learning's Content and Engagement Manager Lotty Tizzard reflects on the value of sharing personal insights and identifies the key patient safety themes that interviewees have highlighted over the past two years. -
Content ArticleIn this article, investigative journalist Scilla Alecci reports on a court case brought against medical tech company Medtronic by a US whistleblower. Former Medtronic sales representative Leanne Houston alleges that between 2016 and 2018 she witnessed the company engaging in “unlawful conduct” by offering several US hospitals free equipment in exchange for the exclusive use of Medtronic products. She also claims that the company failed to acknowledge and deal with reports from surgeons that one of its surgical staple devices was causing harm to patients.
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Content Article
To coach or not to coach? Part 3 – by Dawn Stott
Dawn Stott posted an article in Good practice
In a new series of blogs, Dawn Stott, Business Consultant and former CEO of the Association for Perioperative Practice (AfPP), discusses how coaching and developing teams can support patient safety and its outcomes. In part one and part two, Dawn looked at the strategies and coaching methodologies that can be used to develop individuals and to support patient safety, and discusses the indicators of improvement, prosocial behaviours and the importance of good communication to improve culture and, ultimately, patient safety. In the final blog of the series, Dawn discusses the importance of reflective practice and how it encourages learning and growth, and helps us to identify and address challenges. -
Content ArticleThis report aims to understand the NHS response to racism, what trusts and healthcare organisations do about it and how effective they are at addressing it. It brings together key learning from a number of significant tribunal cases and responses from 1,327 people to a survey about their experiences of raising allegations of racism within their organisations.
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News Article
Waiting times focus ‘overshadows misconduct’, finds NHSE review
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Ambulance trusts have often prioritised capacity and response times over dealing with cases of misconduct, a review of culture in the sector for NHS England has found. The review says ambulance trusts need to “establish clear standards and procedures to address misconduct”. The work was carried out by Siobhan Melia, who is Sussex Community Healthcare Trust CEO, and was seconded to be South East Coast Ambulance Service Foundation Trust interim chief from summer 2022 to spring last year. Her report says bullying and harassment – including sexual harassment – are “deeply rooted” in ambulance trusts, and made worse by organisational and psychological barriers, with inconsistencies in holding offenders to account and a failure to tackle repeat offenders. She says “cultural assessments” of three trusts by NHSE had found “competing pressures often lead to poor behaviours, with capacity prioritisation overshadowing misconduct management”, adding: “Staff shortages and limited opportunities for development mean that any work beyond direct clinical care is seen as a luxury or is rushed. “Despite this, there is a clear link between positive organisational culture and improved patient outcomes. However, trusts often focus on meeting response time standards for urgent calls, whilst sidelining training, professional development, and research.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 15 February 2024 -
Content ArticleThis is an independent review commissioned by NHS England, chaired by Siobhan Melia, Chief Executive, Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, to support the improvement of the culture within the ambulance service. The review considers the prevailing culture within ambulance trusts in England. It considers the core factors impacting cultural norms and offers actionable recommendations for improvement. Based on insights from key stakeholders, this review has identified six key recommendations to improve the culture in ambulance trusts.
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News Article
ICB whistleblowing process ‘not fit for purpose’
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
An integrated care board (ICB) has found its handling of whistleblowing “not fit for purpose”, after a complaint about safety incidents not being properly investigated. A report by North West London ICB, obtained by HSJ, states: “The whistleblowing policy is not fit for purpose and requires immediate updating. The [Freedom to Speak Up] Guardian has been left blank and the policy does not include key components of best practice.” It also found the “whistleblower should have been provided with a substantive response to their concerns within 28 days” but in fact waited 98 working days, “due to delays with starting the whistleblowing component of the grievance”. The ICB reviewed its processes after a complaint from a staff member who raised concerns early last year about “a lack of, or poor, response” to reported patient safety incidents in the system, which are meant to be routinely reviewed by ICBs “prior to closure”. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 15 February 2024 -
News Article
Bath surgeon sacked after raising safety concerns
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A senior surgeon has raised concerns about the way whistleblowers are dealt with, claiming he was sacked after speaking out. Serryth Colbert told the BBC that following attempts to "stop wrongdoing", he was investigated by the trust at Bath's Royal United Hospital. As a result, he said he was dismissed for gross misconduct in October 2023. The RUH said it has "never dismissed anybody for raising concerns and never will". It added that Mr Colbert's dismissal related to "significant concerns about bullying" and its investigation into his conduct was "thorough" and "robust". Mr Colbert said he raised safety concerns without regard for the impact it might have on his career. "It was never a question in my mind. This is wrong. I'm stopping the wrongdoing. I stand for justice. I stand to protect patients," he said. The BBC has seen no evidence his most serious concern was ever investigated and Mr Colbert is now taking the RUH to an employment tribunal. Read full story Source: BBC News, 9 February 2024 -
Content ArticleThe Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh 'Let's remove it' hub is a platform to tackle bullying and undermining across the surgical workforce.
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News Article
‘Culture of fear’ at Sussex hospitals trust, Royal College of Surgeons reports
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Bosses at hospitals where police are investigating dozens of deaths have been criticised for “bullying” and fostering a “culture of fear” among staff in a damning review by the Royal College of Surgeons in England. The review focused on concerns about patient safety and dysfunctional working practices in the general surgery departments at the Royal Sussex County hospital in Brighton and the Princess Royal hospital in nearby Haywards Heath. But the reviewers were so alarmed by reports of harassment, intimidation and mistreatment of whistleblowers that they suggested executives at the University Hospitals Sussex trust may have to be replaced. They concluded: “Consideration should be given to the suitability, professionalism and effectiveness of the current executive leadership team, given the concerning reports of bullying.” The report comes as Sussex police continue to investigate allegations of medical negligence and cover-up in the general surgery department and neurosurgery department, involving more than 100 patients, including at least 40 deaths, from 2015 to 2021. The investigation was prompted by concerns from a general surgeon, Krishna Singh, and a neurosurgeon, Mansoor Foroughi, who lost their jobs at the trust after blowing the whistle over patient safety. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 6 February 2024 -
Content ArticleOn 26 January 2023, University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust contacted the Royal College of Surgeons of England to request an invited service review of the Trust’s general surgery department, with a specific focus on upper gastrointestinal surgery, lower GI surgery and emergency general surgery. The request highlighted that the general surgery department was a service which had been under scrutiny for many years, with a history of internal reviews, and concerns being raised by consultant surgeons as well as other members of staff within the department. This report sets out the findings of this review.
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Content ArticleThis article looks at the judgements made by experts in the cases that are not covered by rules, focusing on the key role of stories and storytelling. Drawing on literature related to high-reliability theory, organisational learning and naturalistic decision-making, it examines how experts working in diverse critical contexts use stories to share and make sense of their experiences.
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Content ArticleIn this animation, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) look at speaking up and what this means for you as a registered professional.
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Content ArticleTraditionally, recommendations regarding responding to medical errors focused mostly on whether to disclose mistakes to patients. Over time, empirical research, ethical analyses and stakeholder engagement began to inform expectations — which are now embodied in communication and resolution programmes (CRPs) — for how healthcare professionals and organisations should respond not just to errors but any time patients have been harmed by medical care (adverse events). CRPs require several steps: quickly detecting adverse events, communicating openly and empathetically with patients and families about the event, apologising and taking responsibility for errors, analysing events and redesigning processes to prevent recurrences, supporting patients and clinicians, and proactively working with patients toward reconciliation. In this modern ethical paradigm, any time harm occurs, clinicians and health care organisations are accountable for minimising suffering and promoting learning. However, implementing this ethical paradigm is challenging, especially when the harm was due to an error.
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Content ArticleDoctors At Work is a series of video podcasts hosted by Dr Mat Daniel. In this episode, Dr Gordon Caldwell shares his experiences of managing and preventing adverse events. He stresses the importance of creating a culture that encourages everyone to speak up. His top tips for preventing errors is to create systems, checklists and routines that ensure a focus on all aspects of care not just the obvious and urgent.
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News ArticleThe medical leaders of the maternity unit of a flagship hospital threatened with closure have written to their chief executive saying the downgrade would not be safe, HSJ has learned. Nineteen obstetric and gynaecological staff, including the clinical director, wrote to the chair and CEO of the Royal Free London Foundation Trust this week saying the proposals to shutter services at the trust’s main site in Hampstead would increase the risk of harm to mothers. Their letter said: “Whilst we accept, and support, the need to review provision of maternity and neonatal services across [north central London], aiming for care excellence and best outcomes, we have significant concerns about the current proposals.” The letter said the Royal Free was the only unit in NCL to offer a “range of supporting specialist services for complex maternity care”, including rheumatology and neurology and is the “only hospital in NCL to provide both 24-hour interventional radiology and on-site acute vascular surgery and urology support”. The medics’ letter said co-morbidities from cardiac, renal, haematological and neurological conditions had driven an increase in maternal mortality over the past decade and that RFH’s services were well-equipped to manage these complex cases. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 24 January 2024
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Content ArticleThe early recognition and treatment of deterioration in patients in clinical settings can help reduce avoidable deaths. NHS England commissioned Florence Nightingale Foundation (FNF) to examine the barriers which prevent worries and concerns being raised about a deteriorating patient. Evidence suggests that organisational culture, professional hierarchies, and the nature of leadership in healthcare environments are the three key factors behind this reluctance. The findings highlight the importance of psychological safety which is highly influenced by authentic leadership in overcoming these barriers.
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Content ArticleIn the intricate world of healthcare, where patient safety is paramount, the ability to speak up is a crucial component of a culture of safety. However, the complexities surrounding voicing concerns or challenging the status quo in a healthcare environment can be extremely daunting. Speaking up to those who are respected, who are perceived as more powerful or more influential is not easy. Even asking questions, let alone questioning others can create tension or even risk relationships. We are too often silenced by others or are purposefully silent ourselves because it is the easier thing to do. In this blog, Suzette Woodward discusses the barriers to speaking up and what we can do.
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Content ArticleNorthumbria University is exploring the experiences of NHS Trusts taking steps to move towards a Restorative Just Culture to develop and share an informative ‘how to’ guide. They would like to hear your views if you are you an NHS Trust who has attended the Northumbria University and Mersey Care NHS FT programme: Principles and Practices of Restorative Just Culture and have implemented, or attempted to implement, restorative just culture. It will take approximately 45 minutes of your time to take part in an online interview/focus group. If you are interested in participating or have any questions please contact bl.rjc@northumbria.ac.uk. Download the attachment below for more information.
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Content ArticleJessie Cunnett, new CEO at the Point of Care Foundation, shares her journey of commitment to humanise healthcare through her personal and professional stories. She reflects on the importance of creating space for everyone to feel seen and heard in health and care settings.
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EventThis conference brings together leading experts at the forefront of Martha’s Rule implementation and offers a comprehensive and practical guide for clinical staff to seamlessly integrate Martha’s Rule into their daily practice. The conference delves into the caregiver’s perspective, principles and implications of Martha’s Rule, legal and patient safety considerations, effective communication strategies, and the use of technology in the adoption of Martha’s Rule. Throughout the day, there will be interactive sessions, small breakout groups, and collaborative exercises, fostering a dynamic learning experience. For further information and to book your place visit https://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/virtual-online-courses/marthas-rule-patient-safety or email aman@hc-uk.org.uk hub members receive a 20% discount. Email info@pslhub.org for discount code.
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Content ArticleRob Behrens reflects on the work the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) has done over the last year to drive improvements in patient safety.
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Content ArticleThe Right Honourable Sir Anthony Hooper was asked by the General Medical Council (GMC) on 5 September 2014 to conduct an independent review of how the GMC engage with individuals who regard themselves as whistleblowers. Here is the GMC's action plan to address the recommendations in the Anthony Hooper’s review.
