Latest news shows NHS has little desire to learn

Image result for daily mail logo"Googling around info on the latest problem to hit the NHS, I go to the Daily Mail website, to read that the families of patients involved in these scandals must be in despair.  The site says the final report on Shrewsbury and Telford is not expected until 2020.- but no date when.

According to the Daily Mail, one leaked paragraph suggests why:  “the number of cases we are now being requested to review seem to represent a long-standng culture at this Trust is toxic to improvement effort. It will take time, confidence and considerable meaningful staff effort from ‘Ward to Board’ to change this’.

Latest news is that over 800 families have now come forwatd at the Shrewsbury Hospital wih the latest scandal.  Yet no-one seems to be at fault.

It beggars belief

I might have read current reports with scepticism, if I handn’t found similar probems when being treated for cancer at a supposedly ‘world class’ NHS hospital.  No-ne was the slightest bit interested if I complained; I was deemed a whistle-blower because I questioned a dodgy diagnosis, done without any tests.  When the whole might of an NHS hospital is turning a deaf ear, you begin to question if you are at fault.

Three days after starting on Tamoxifen, I came out in horibble, painful, bloody blisters all over my body.  In the NHS hospital the dermatologist told me to strip off, examined me in front of his students, then gave me his diagnosis (whilst I was   starkers in front of everyone)  “it’s your age” .

There was a collective gasp from students and me, but when I tried to question him, he swept out of the room saying “I haven’t got time to answer questions”. So I went  to France, where I was given tests, treated correctly and my condition cured.

Returning from France, I foolishly thought the nurses would be interested to know how I got cured.  No – what concerned the hospital more was that I wasn’t being “supportive”. It was frightening to be accused by 30 members of a committee of “not being supportive of the hospital”. No mention of support for me – focus was on what the hospital wanted to safeguard its reputation.

The sooner the NHS realises it is there to serve the interest of patients, not itself, the better.

What’s happening now

Reading press reports it seems that patients can still be in the wrong, especially if we dare to question how we are treated.

My heart goes out to those involved in the latest case to come to light, where clinical malpractice apparently has been linked to death or brain damage to many babies.  And since the announcement it now seem over 800 families have come forward.

You can feel lonely when confronted by medical professionals telling you “no-one else has complained”. You begin to question your own judgement.  But if there were 800 ‘incidents’, didn’t it occur to anyone with 6-figure salaries, to question statistics?

The anguish that must have been caused to these families, when the hospital seems to have covered up what was going on, must be horrendous;  cold hard reality is that this is going to cost the NHS – and dearly.

Again the stock phrase “lessons will be learnt” is trotted out.  But one must question if it ever is – and no amount of PR phrases will be compensation to the families involved.