The Cure

[lastqueenofscotland]

Did anyone else watch this tonight?
Be interesting to see everyone’s thoughts

As a student nurse I found it horrific viewing. Obviously we know about the Francis Report but to see the lack of care, dignity and basics ignored was awful. Yes it was a dramatisation but one based on the truth. Please please may it never happen again.

Which channel?

4

Thanks

Credit where credit is due to the decent people that work in the nhs that strive to make it better . But Watching the cure as made my blood boil . Good on that women for exposing what that hospital did .

I just dont understand how some people have no compassion. They wouldn't let their own suffer . But for the sake of targets and money people died for it ....
Vile x

My DM spent 5 months in and out of hospital basically dying. We saw some really terrible care - some good, but not enough of it. I believe everything in that programme.

Havent seen it yet but as someone local to Stafford, Julie Bailey is not well thought of here. Lots of discrepancies to her story.
There's no disputing the fact that there was a lot wrong at Stafford hospital but we now have no real hospital here and unfortunately a lot of people blame her for it's demise

My DM spent 5 months in and out of hospital basically dying. We saw some really terrible care - some good, but not enough of it. I believe everything in that programme

So do I. Lack of basic care is shocking on wards ime.

Agree entirely Candyflosskid - no idea what good people thought this very one sided docudrama would do so many years later. I agree that any short comings in care should absolutely be flagged but it appears that Julie was used as a handy political pawn to dismantle our county hospital and put many other lives at risk, which surely wasn't the resolution she had hoped for.

I can't stop thinking about it since watching it last night. I appreciate it was dramatised and one sided but cannot believe that Julie Bailey was vilified for raising the issues.

As an NHS professional of many years the Francis Report and its recommendations have improved Patient care and I for one am thankful. Whilst the flag was raised at Mid Staffs it's ripple effect on highlighting other hospitals short comings

A very brave woman for telling the story and shame on the abusers who hounded her? Will someone please ask them how they would have liked it if it were their mum or dad who died there?

Never realised people were drinking water out of vases shocking and also how rude was the nurse telling her to get out.

There's no disputing the fact that there was a lot wrong at Stafford hospital but we now have no real hospital here and unfortunately a lot of people blame her for it's demise

Like i said how would they like it if it was their mum or dad who died there be a different story then? Why dont people think? She did a great job and as soon as she spoke out other people came out too they cant all be wrong.

as someone local to Stafford, Julie Bailey is not well thought of here.

I grew up in the area and still have family there. People are angry at not having 24 hour A &E and proper maternity but frankly I think Julie Bailey is being scapegoated. The people to blame are those who caused the issues in the first place, not the woman who exposed them. This is typical though, whistleblowers generally suffer abuse.
It's a weird thing how people are more angry at those who reveal abuse/lies etc, than they are at the actual perpetrators.

How many more would have died if she hadn't spoken out, I wonder?

Yes quite,one woman can't close a hospital ,she can only highlight what is wrong with it

It shows how one person can make a difference, Sue Johnson was heartbreaking. It’s certainly not Julie Bailey’s fault there’s is no 24 hr a & e etc, it’s clearly the fault of the those in charge there. Why wasn’t the hospital reopened ?

wouldnt we all have done the same for our mums!

Just wish someone would ask the people who abused her what they would have done if it was their parent?

JB didn't want the hospital closed down,she just wanted better care which every single person should want!

Coolcarrie it was. Actually I don't think it was ever shut down (might be wrong).

It is now run by a different Trust, has a different name. Some services no longer exist though and A & E closes overnight.

www.uhnm.nhs.uk/aboutus/Our-organisation/Pages/Directory-of-Services-at-your-local-hospital.aspx#

Thank you Star

I watched it tonight on catchup. What amazing women. Can't believe people are vilifying them - so keeping open a hospital that was killing people would have been preferable?

If there's no A&E then that is not the fault of people that raised the concerns. Perhaps the Trust should have listened earlier.

The criminal damage , harassment and death threats Julie had to endure was disgusting.

Its the fault of those dishing out the abuse and those who covered it up not the person who exposed it.

It was undoubtedly a failure of the hospital management ,and others who should have known better, that led JB to start her campaign.
She wrote initially to the Chief Exec, outlining her concerns regarding the care on her mother's ward.
She didn't get a reply.
She then contacted the Director of Nursing, who, she says, "dismissed her concerns".
So, she took it outside the hospital and contacted her MP (Labour), and he also dismissed her concerns telling her that he'd spoken to many people about the hospital and had never heard anything like she was describing.
So she wrote to the Overview and Scrutiny committee, a body made up of local Borough Councillors.
She said that in reply, she got a Solicitors letter telling her not to contact them with complaints as "their role wasn't to listen to complaints about the hospital".
So, in desparation, and no doubt some frustration, she sent a letter to the local press and the floodgates opened.

The hospital never closed at any time throughout all this.
The A and E department now opens from 8am - 10pm.
There are no facilities for children's A and E - this service is provided in Stoke, approx 16 miles from Stafford or Wolverhampton, a similar distance.

I also have family in the area - some of whom worked in the NHS.

That shows that she tried all the other avenues first before going to the press.

Exactly, @HelenaDove, and if just one of those people, who were all in fairly powerful positions, had just listened to her and taken it seriously, the outcome may have been different.
I suspect, they just didn't want to know.
They were hellbent on getting Foundation Trust status and were so desperate to balance the books that they didn't care what it took to get there.
At the time this was happening, there were approx 208 staff vacancies - 100 of which were Nursing posts.
These weren't being filled as they wanted to save money on salaries.
This is not a large hospital so 208 vacancies would have made a big impact on services.
It was reported at the inquiry, that staff had filled in numerous incident forms relating to episodes when patient care was compromised, but they never received any feedback and believed these were simply binned.