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Found 250 results
  1. News Article
    A whistleblower raised the alarm over patient safety at West Suffolk Hospital because of concerns about the behaviour of a doctor who had been seen injecting himself with drugs, the Guardian has revealed. The incident had already prompted internal complaints from senior staff at West Suffolk hospital, but the whistleblower decided to take matters a step further when the same doctor was later involved in a potentially botched operation. The whistleblower then wrote to relatives of a dead patient and urged them to ask questions about the conduct of the doctor and his background. When they did this, the hospital launched a widely criticised “witch-hunt” in an attempt to find out the identity of the leaker. The doctor’s drug use, which the trust has never acknowledged until now, helps explain why it demanded fingerprint and handwriting samples from staff – tactics which the NHS regulator roundly condemned in a hard-hitting report last week. Read full story Source: Guardian, 5 February 2020
  2. News Article
    In early January, authorities in the Chinese city of Wuhan were trying to keep news of a new coronavirus under wraps. When one doctor tried to warn fellow medics about the outbreak, police paid him a visit and told him to stop. A month later he has been hailed as a hero, after he posted his story from a hospital bed. It's a stunning insight into the botched response by local authorities in Wuhan in the early weeks of the coronavirus outbreak. Dr Li was working at the centre of the outbreak in December when he noticed seven cases of a virus that he thought looked like SARS - the virus that led to a global epidemic in 2003. On 30 December he sent a message to fellow doctors in a chat group warning them about the outbreak and advising they wear protective clothing to avoid infection. What Dr Li didn't know then was that the disease that had been discovered was an entirely new coronavirus. Four days later he was summoned to the Public Security Bureau where he was told to sign a letter. In the letter he was accused of "making false comments" that had "severely disturbed the social order". "We solemnly warn you: If you keep being stubborn, with such impertinence, and continue this illegal activity, you will be brought to justice - is that understood?" He was one of eight people who police said were being investigated for "spreading rumours". At the end of January, Dr Li published a copy of the letter on Weibo and explained what had happened. In the meantime, local authorities had apologised to him but that apology came too late. For the first few weeks of January officials in Wuhan were insisting that only those who came into contact with infected animals could catch the virus. No guidance was issued to protect doctors. "A safer public health environment… requires tens of millions of Li Wenliang," said one reader of Dr Li's post. Read full story Source: BBC News, 4 February 2020
  3. News Article
    The hospital at the centre of a whistleblowing inquiry has been downgraded by the care watchdog and issued with a warning notice amid concerns over leadership and patient safety. West Suffolk Foundation Trust has been rated requires improvement by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in a damning report having previously been rated outstanding since 2017. The trust, whose Chief Executive Stephen Dunn received a CBE for services to patient safety in 2018, has faced criticism after bosses threatened senior doctors with a fingerprint and handwriting analysis to try and identify a whistleblower. In a new report published today, the CQC inspectors said they had significant concerns about the safety of mothers and babies in the trust’s maternity unit and the criticised the culture of the trust leadership referencing what they called “threatening” actions. In the West Suffolk hospital maternity unit the CQC found staff had not completed key safety training, did not protect women from domestic abuse, and staff did not always report safety incidents. They also found maternity staff were not taking observations and the unit lacked enough staff with the right qualifications to keep women safe. The trust was issued with a warning notice by the trust demanding it make improvements before the end of this month. On the trust leadership the CQC report said: “The style of executive leadership did not represent or demonstrate an open and empowering culture. There was an evident disconnect between the executive team and several consultant specialities." Read full story Source: The Independent, 30 January 2020
  4. News Article
    Leadership behaviour from the “very top of the NHS” has led to an increase in bullying, according to an official strategy document produced by an acute trust. East and North Hertfordshire Trust published its new people and organisation strategy in its January board papers. Within it, the report said: “Leadership behaviour from the very top of the NHS, during this time of pressure has led to an increase in accusations of bullying, harassment and discrimination.” In a separate section, the paper noted the difficulties of being a healthcare professional, saying “many staff leave before they need to and many more cite bullying, over work and stress, as reasons for absence and mistakes”. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 13 January 2020
  5. News Article
    Doctors at a hospital accused of bullying its staff have told the NHS care regulator that they are too scared to report lapses in patient safety in case they end up facing disciplinary action. The Guardian revealed earlier this week that West Suffolk hospital stands accused by its own medics of secrecy, bullying and intimidation after it demanded they take fingerprint tests in its effort to identify a whistleblower. Senior staff have privately passed on serious concerns to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) about the behaviour of the trust’s leadership. They used confidential meetings with CQC inspectors, who visited twice in the autumn, to explain why they lack confidence in Steve Dunn, the trust’s chief executive, Dr Nick Jenkins, its medical director, and Sheila Childerhouse, who chairs the hospital’s board. The CQC is due to publish its report into the trust, including the performance of its leadership, in January. “Staff are scared that they’ll face disciplinary action [if they raise concerns about patient safety],” said one doctor, who declined to be named. “As a result of recent events I can’t imagine that anyone at the trust will feel comfortable to speak out or whistleblow in the future. I fear that any future patient safety concerns will not be expressed and will simply be brushed under the carpet.” The trust demanded fingerprints and handwriting samples after a staff member wrote anonymously to the family of Susan Warby, who died in August 2018 after undergoing treatment at the hospital, which was investigated as a “serious incident”. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 11 December 2019
  6. Content Article
    In a previous blog, 'What is a Whistleblower',[1] Hugh drew attention to negative perceptions of whistleblowers in the eyes of some people. A crossword and clues were published on the hub to emphasise how wrong such perceptions are and how damaging they can be, with serious patient safety implications.[2] This follow-up outlines the nature of the journey travelled by some NHS staff who have spoken up and the problems which still exist with NHS whistleblowing culture. It provides a link to an attached file which contains the answers to each clue. The attachment also shows the completed crossword in larger, easier-to-read, format than the small illustration in this blog. There is a further link to companion notes which expand on the answer to each clue. These notes contain more detail about the realities of speaking up. They reinforce the link between hostility towards those who speak up and an ongoing series of patient safety scandals.[7-21]
  7. Content Article
    In August 2021, University Hospitals North Midlands Trust (UHNM) commissioned brap and Roger Kline to conduct a review of bullying and harassing behaviours across the Trust. The purpose of the review was to understand: the nature of bullying/harassment within the Trust (what types of behaviour are staff being subject to?) the basis of bullying/harassment (is poor treatment linked to people’s protected characteristics or other aspects of identity (such as language spoken) the scope of bullying behaviour (how frequently are staff subject to bullying behaviours and are they concentrated in particular sites, job roles, or bands? Are staff subject to bullying from patients/visitors or primarily from colleagues?) the response to any unprofessional behaviours (do people feel confident reporting or challenging poor behaviour? If not, why?) the conditions that allow bullying behaviours to continue (what aspects of organisational culture may be contributing to the persistence of bullying? Are stress, workloads, or poor management practice roots causes?) The review was prompted by anecdotal claims of inappropriate behaviour within some parts of the Trust. (The Trust has a range of mechanisms to monitor levels of bullying and harassment, including national and local surveys, reports from the Freedom to Speak Up Guardians, Dignity at Work reports, and staff listening events.) In addition, a survey conducted by BAPIO/LNC raised concerns about the treatment of doctors and how this intersected with issues around race. As such, this review sought to explore whether the treatment of Black and minority ethnic (BME) people was different to that of White British staff. 
  8. Content Article
    The rapid review was commissioned by NHS England and NHS Improvement, following concerns raised by staff at The Christie Hospital in relation to the Research & Innovation department. The review makes a number of recommendations and the Trust will be developing and action plan to address these.
  9. Content Article
    This blog is prompted by a recent newspaper crossword in which one of the clues, quadruplicated, was 'Whistle-blower'. The four answers were, respectively, 'canary', 'snitch', 'telltale' and 'betrayer'. The blog draws attention to negative perceptions of whistleblowers in the eyes of some people. It emphasises how wrong these perceptions are and how damaging this can be, with serious patient safety implications. In this blog I provide a crossword counterpoint (attached below to solve), which seeks to support learning about the realities of hostility against some staff who speak up in the NHS. I will share a follow-up blog which contains the solution to this crossword and seeks to provide further education on this topic where there is so much confusion and misunderstanding.
  10. Content Article
    The West Suffolk Review, commissioned by NHS England on behalf of the Department for Health and Social Care, was published last month. NHSE/I asked the West Suffolk Board to produce an action plan for the 28 January meeting of the Board of Directors. This paper summarises the current position in relation to the learning, reflection and response thus far, including the organisational development actions that have already been taken and require further embedding. It also highlights the engagement undertaken to date, and what more needs to happen, to ensure our plans are based on the priorities for staff, governors, patients and teams and can carry the confidence of stakeholders. The report, 'West Suffolk Review – organisational development plan (p. 217)', sets out nine broad themes of work, linked to the trust’s core functions, “that capture the priority areas for organisational and cultural development at WSFT in light of the learnings from the report”.  The document sets out how the trust’s governance, freedom to speak up, HR, staff voice, patient safety and other parts of its corporate infrastructure failed and contributed to a scandal.
  11. Content Article
    In his blog, Steve Turner consider the difference between accountability and bullying.
  12. Content Article
    It's that time again. 'Speak Up Month' in the NHS. In this blog, I discuss the definition of 'whistelblowing' and why this is important. I believe that although the Francis Report has stimulated some positive changes, the only way to successfully move forward on this is to celebrate and promote genuine whistleblowers. This includes using the word 'whistleblowing', not a euphemism. It also needs us to involve everyone, including patients, in the changes. "Whistleblowing isn’t a problem to be solved or managed, it’s an opportunity to learn and improve. The more we move away for labelling and stereotyping the more we will learn. Regardless of our position, role or perceived status, we all need to address this much more openly and explicitly, in a spirit of truth and reconciliation." What is whistleblowing? "In the UK, NHS bodies have been guilty of muddying the waters. Sometimes implying that whistleblowers are people who fail to use the proper channels, or are troublemakers, especially when they go outside their organisation with their concerns. In fact, the Public Interest Disclosure Act makes no distinction between ‘internal’ and ‘external’ whistle-blowers..."
  13. Content Article
    Surgery can be a highly demanding environment, and in pressurised situations we need to prioritise patient safety. Under these circumstances there is a need for clear leadership, but being assertive can sometimes be challenging without coming across as aggressive or intimidating. Training is also an area in which potential issues could arise. Not every trainee will develop at the required rate, and it is important to be able to address concerns with an individual without fearing being labelled as a bully. The following recommendations from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh may help with workplace relationships.
  14. Content Article
    The NHS Staff Survey for England reported that almost a quarter of all NHS staff experienced harassment, bullying or abuse from colleagues in the last 12 months. Not only does this have a devastating impact on individuals and the teams within which they work, but it can have dire consequences for patient care. The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh is committed to eradicating bullying and undermining from the surgical and dental professions. It has a number of resources on its website.
  15. Content Article
    Shabazz et al. explore incidents of bullying and undermining among obstetrics and gynaecology consultants in the UK, to add another dimension to previous research and assist in providing a more holistic understanding of the problem in medicine.
  16. Content Article
    Ali Raza uses the Swiss Cheese Model by James Reason to look at discrimination in the workplace.
  17. Content Article
    The aim of this study from Björklund et al. was to describe factors that contribute to the occurrence of workplace bullying, that enable it to continue and the coping strategies managers use when they are bullied.  They found that several factors could be linked to the bullying: being new in the managerial position; lack of clarity about roles and expectations; taking over a work group with ongoing conflicts; reorganisations. The bullying usually lasted for quite some time. Factors that allowed the bullying to continue were passive bystanders and the bullies receiving support from higher management. The managers in this study adopted a variety of problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies. However, in the end most chose to leave the organisation.
  18. Content Article
    Patient Safety Learning reflects on the results of the NHS Staff Survey 2020, in relation to its ‘Safety Culture’ theme. The survey indicates that a significant number of staff continue have concerns about whether their organisation takes action to address patient safety issues, and that nearly a third of respondents said that they do not feel they would be treated fairly when raising a concern. This blog considers the patient safety implications of the persistence of blame culture in the NHS and considers the action that can be taken to address this.
  19. Content Article
    The undermining toolkit is an RCOG/Royal College of Midwives (RCM) initiative to address the challenge of undermining and bullying behaviour in maternity and gynaecology services. The toolkit is divided into four sections that can be used independently: Strategic interventions - Recommendations for over-arching institutions such as the wider NHS, GMC, RCOG, RCM and others Unit, trust and local education provider interventions- Recommendations for trusts and hospitals Departmental and team interventions - Recommendations for departments, particularly around team working between obstetricians and midwives Individual interventions - Recommendations for individual victims and perpetrators of undermining. Follow the link below for more information. 
  20. Content Article
    This poster was presented by Hugh Wilkins at the UK Imaging and Oncology Congress in June 2019 and highlights the serious problem of retaliation against NHS staff who raise concerns in the public interest.
  21. Content Article
    The aim of this qualitative study, published in Midwifery, was to examine how (UK and Australian based) midwifery students, who self-identify as having been bullied, perceive the repercussions on women and their families.
  22. Content Article
    A resource developed in collaboration with RCOG, Royal College of Midwives and Civility Saves Lives. The toolkit comprises of 8 modules and includes tools to: support the development of positive workplace culture support you when you encounter poor workplace behaviours strengthen your skills and confidence in 'speaking up' promote an understanding of what poor workplace behaviour looks like and its impact on individuals, teams, organisations and importantly the women and families we care for.
  23. Event
    This one day masterclass will focus on culture with healthcare organisations. It will look at effective ways to encourage healthcare organisations to unlock culture to improve both patient safety and staff safety. The Ockendon report (2022) reports a ‘Toxic culture’ of “undermining and bullying” left staff struggling to finish shifts and crying at work. Two thirds of staff said they had witnessed or experienced bullying. The report identified an “us and them” divide between doctors and midwives. Key learning objectives: Psychological safety Safety culture Toxic cultures Trust and safety Compassionate leadership. For further information and to book your place visit www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/conferences-masterclasses/unlocking-culture or email kerry@hc-uk.org.uk hub members receive 20% discount. Email info@pslhub.org for discount code.
  24. Community Post
    The West Suffolk Independent Review published yesterday indicates that safety concerns were ignored and the hunt for an anonymous whistleblower was "flawed" and "ill-judged". https://www.england.nhs.uk/east-of-england/wp-content/uploads/sites/47/2021/12/west-suffolk-review-081221.pdf This Review was commissioned following widely reported events arising from an anonymous letter that was sent in October 2018 to the relative of a patient who had died at the West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (the Trust). The 225 page report contains important learning and highlights the need for an open culture in the NHS and an end to a culture of avoidance, denial and victimisation of those who speak out for patient safety. This report highlights the need for cultural change and raises several key points: The importance of real and empowered clinical leadership. The importance of NHS leaders being self-questioning, open to criticism and to listen to staff. The importance of leaders understand the value of dissent and disagreement. Where concerns and criticisms appear or do turn out to be misguided, the need for NHS leaders to avoid jumping to any conclusion that the individual raising them is simply making trouble.
  25. Community Post
    As someone who works with NHS and actually as a Mental Health and Physical Health patient I've experienced discrimination and out right assault by the police whilst in hospital and ended up under S136 for no valid reason. Although I was assaulted with handcuffs being thrown over the bed rail, breaking my wrist I think. Still not had my mangled wrist xrayed 2 months on. Nothing worse than being in a vulnerable situation and bullies absolutely thrive on people in vulnerable positions. Their bosses think they're wonderful and so kind but they are in a position of power so of course the bully treats them differently or act differently when seniors are around. I recently put in a formal complaint to CEO I knew very well but instead of replying (after I told her I had recordings) she completely blanked me and now retired. Instead of "this is very serious Dominic, please send any evidence etc" I get told "how wonderful" my bully is! Interim CEO took over so I must inform him of Duty of Candour (Robbies Law) too. They don't seem to like that being pointed out but I shall do it anyway in hope we get a decent CEO who isn't just a pencil pusher waiting for band 9 pension. If as a volunteer I've experienced what I have, I dread to think what goes on as full members of staff. What struck me was the impunity these bullies operate with once in band 8 or above roles. You'd be very shocked if you heard what myself and four other service users went through. At the time my bullies refused to apologise (even though she received "disaplinary action") For me bulling and cronyism are both rotting the NHS from the inside out and needs sorting ASAP Please don't get me wrong, I support 99% of NHS staff but I cannot ignore the bullying, certainly at directorate or managerial level. The small percentage who do bullies seem to have no self awareness and those under them seem to think bullying behaviour is just "Leadership" Well no leader worth any salt will abuse you or tell you who you can and cannot speak too. Seeing service users slowly driven out by a particular bullie was extremely hard and not one manager wanted to know (bar one kind soul). Leadership means you MUST act whenever you even sniff the types of behaviours that signal a bully, however things are that bad that management cannot or won't recognise the controlling and mean behaviours Thanks for reading my first post
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