Tuesday 21 August 2012

The Ultimate Stigmatisation - Free on the NHS !

These are MUST READ articles, as they show that stigmatisation of the mentally ill is used ( and approved ) at the highest levels of the NHS, in England and Wales. The first link gives the entire story of Kay Sheldon's disgraaceful stigmatisation, while the shorter article following shows that MPs are not about to condone such outrageous behavior. R.W.



http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/exclusive-nhs-watchdog-claimed-that-whistleblower-kay-sheldon-was-mentally-ill-8046640.html

#MPs to grill NHS CQC watchdog over whistleblower Kay Sheldon's story
Regulator's future in doubt as claims of secret psychiatric assessment are greeted with outrage
Nina Lakhani
Thursday, 16 August 2012
The head of the health regulator, Dame Jo Williams, will be forced to explain to MPs damning allegations that she tried to discredit a board member who blew the whistle by casting doubts about her mental health.
Her position hangs in the balance after members of the influential Health Select Committee (HSC) expressed “outrage” about reports in The Independent that Dame Williams commissioned an occupational health doctor to psychiatrically assess Kay Sheldon without her knowledge.
The report, which Dame Williams appears to have shared with the rest of the Care Quality Commission Board and Health Secretary, concluded that she was suffering from a paranoid illness, most probably schizophrenia. The doctor, who is not a psychiatrist, never met Mrs Sheldon and spoke with her only briefly over the telephone.
Dr Sarah Woolastan, Tory MP for Totnes and member of the HSC, revealed her own experience of suffering depression during a Parliamentary debate earlier this year. She said: “These are very serious allegations, and if they are true, then it is of grave concern that this could happen within a government organisation just as we in Parliament are trying to encourage people to have the confidence to tell their employers about their mental health problems.”
Rosie Cooper, Labour MP for west Lancashire, said Mrs Sheldon’s treatment was “outrageous”. “Dame Jo’s action are ill advised and do not display the right values in this kind of confidential, responsible role.”
Dame Williams wrote to Andrew Lansley on the same day that Mrs Sheldon’s gave evidence under oath last November to the Mid Staffs public inquiry asking for her to be removed immediately.
Mrs Sheldon told the inquiry, which is specifically investigating regulatory failures around Mid Staffs, about serious shortcomings in the CQC’s leadership, board, inspection regime and accountability.
Her concerns, which she had repeatedly raised within the organisation beforehand, were later endorsed by the Public Accounts Committee and the department of health’s own review published in February. Several patient safety scandals have been exposed at hospitals and care by patients and clinicians after the CQC declared them safe.
It was only last month, after she started legal proceedings that Mr Lansley decided that Mrs Sheldon should remain on the board.
Andrew George, Lib Deb MP for St Ives, said Dame Williams would be in front of the Committee as soon as possible after the summer recess. “Genuine whistleblowers are crucial to the CQC so that it can direct its investigations and limited resources using the best intelligence available. In this case, if Dame Williams wanted to seek some sort of retribution against the whistleblower, it would be really very worrying from the regulator.”
The charity Mind has long campaigned to highlight the way peoples’ mental health problems are unfairly used to discredit them in courts.
Mind's Director of External Relations Sophie Corlett said: "Living with a mental health problem does not make your opinion less valid or relevant when whistleblowing. Nor should people with mental health problems face discrimination when they are lifting the lid in the public interest." Stephen Dorrell, former Tory health secretary and chairman of the HSC, last night said: “This is clearly an issue that needs to be further examined and it will be by the Committee in September.”


Stigmatisation - Free to all on the NHS !

thhhrhht

Wednesday 8 August 2012

For our NHS every Month is a 'Silly Season'

Traditionally, August is a boring month for the press and is known as the 'silly season' due to Parliament and the corrupt Welsh Government being closed, leaving the NHS to stumble along as badly as they do every other month of the year. Where to start ?

Thanks to the incompetent handling of the CTG foetal heart scan, Merthyr mother is grieving over the loss of her stillborn twins. Midwife Kay Cotter allowed the mother home, still in great pain, with the result being that neither twin lived through the birth after an urgent re-admission.
As usual, the incompetent doctor wasn't challenged and will go on to make more fatal cock-ups.

Once again, coroner Mary Hassell makes another stupid verdict on Patricia Callow, who died under the same circumstances as her poor husband Cyril. Both had taken sedatives and made a suicide pact before sealing plastic bags over their heads, yet only Cyril was determined to have committed suicide. Limebourne Court's (Whitchurch) warden didn't check up on them for a 'few days', adding to the certainty of both suicide attempts. Yet Mary Hassell chickens out on the proper double suicide verdict - unless of course, she knows that a plastic bag blew in through the window and suffocated Patricia Callow by accident. ( yeah right ).

Hywel Dda Health Board have - predictably - ordered the closure of two community hospitals, claiming that the changes are due to 'a change in demographics'. How do they know when an epidemialogical Needs Assesment hasn't been conducted fo over a dead. Still, it's just a coincidence that all these 'changes' were announced ( or confirmed ) after Minister, Lesley Griffiths Chaired a meeting of ALL Welsh health boards was held 'in camera', with not a single suggestion of any collusion, of course (yeah right). Personally I, and the rest of the population still cannot comprehend the rediculously untrue that her department and Professor Marcus Longley didn't collude over the report on the NHS changes, or his laughable commentary on the Community Health Councils, when piblic opinion was only allowed to be given by personal appointment with the obedient academic, who knows which side his bread is buttered on. Every Health Minister gets worse and worse by the hour, which makes this writer wonder who - from the dregs of the barrell containing the Labour A.Ms - will be selected to hold the next poisoned chalice. One thing is absolutely certain - the NHS and the Welsh government will continue to ignore public opinion, just as they have done for years. The worst example of this contempt is shown by the decision to close the A & E department in Llanelli, in favour of a nurse-led injury unit, fully equipped with disenfectant, magic creams and plenty of elastoplast bandages. What a ruddy farce - even at Llandough hospital where the Health Board had the cheek to apologise for the neglectful care of Eileen Cligget, who died after suffering from an untreated bed sore.

Ex-councillor, John Smith, summed it up best in his letter to the Echo on 2nd August, verbatim :

"So much for devolution and bringing decision-making closer to the people

The Welsh Government is considering a report which promotes a health service of less treatment in hospital and more in the community.
What strategy lies behind this strategy ? Is it the transference of to GPs to be followed with budgets, the declared aim of the Westminster Government ?

The original demand for devolution was to bring decision making closer to the peopl of Wales.
They do not consult with us but are increasing control over our living and even our death, even more than the coalition in London !" F. John Smith, Grangetown, Cardiff.

R.W.

[N.B. I nearly forgot - something's missling - the onslaught of reports from Jewell and Sissling. Their deluge of rhetoric is more insincere and lacking in meaningful content than anything emanating from the NHS. Where is Adan Cairns, the new Chief Executive ???? Surely he's not still learning his script, it can't be that difficult ? After all, he only has to repeat the same crap that his predecesor read and wrote ? Or perhaps he didn't admire her leaving the £46m defecit that started all this decimation of services ???]