Hospital complaint/feedback help

[LaLoba]

Hi Feminism chat, I’m exhausted with cancer treatment on top of a chronic illness which causes fatigue, so please be patient if I’m not as coherent as I should be.

During radiotherapy today a male radiotherapist who was not part of my treatment team walked in on me undressed, and just stared at me, I had to tell him twice to leave. This was especially upsetting as I’d disclosed childhood abuse to the cancer team, in order to be clear that I wanted female professionals only.

Everything about his behaviour said it wasn’t an accident, and both my husband and I had noticed him staring at me before I went in for treatment. This has triggered some upsetting emotions, and I would rather run away quietly, but the team responsible for me seemed quite keen for me to complain, and I feel a duty to speak up as I know all to well how silence protects this kind of man.

Anyway, the part I was hoping for help with was the bit of the form which asks for comments in relation to protected characteristics under the equality act - I feel sure I should be able to word this, but am exhausted to a level that’s affecting my cognitive function.

I’m in tears here, don’t know if it’s the fatigue, CPTSD or just the last few months of treatment etc, but I do know I was doing ok with it all until today. Any help with the words from the mighty brains of the feminism board would be greatly appreciated.

I have nothing useful to add to the previous excellent posts but couldn’t read and run.
I am sorry this has happened to you. There is no shame in giving yourself time to recover both physically and mentally before tackling this. Radiotherapy is gruelling and it’s effects are cumulative.
If you have a good relationship with your breast specialist nurse (and it sounds like you do) then consider informing her. She may have no jurisdiction over him but I’m sure would want to support you in this nonetheless. Sending unMumsnetty hugs.

Your Macmillan nurse might also be able to help you formulate your complaint, if she’s someone you trust?

The good thing about Macmillan nurses is they can visit you at home, where you have privacy and comfort.

It’s shitty this happened to you, you have enough to deal with already. I’m glad you are making the complaint though, and also that you turned to this board for assistance.

Women helping women is magical, I think.

Best wishes for your final treatment and ongoing recovery

I think a professional body is highly unlikely to take action against a clinician who walked into a room and left again. I am sorry that you had such a distressing experience but I think you may need to be prepared for the outcome of your complaint to be fairly limited.

Congratulations on getting through your treatment.

That’s a horrible thing to happen.

It seems quite possible from your description that he has been doing this for a while. Had you not expressly asked for an all female team, you might easily have assumed he was doing a necessary part of his job.

I hope everything goes well with your ongoing care.

💐

I don't have any advice, LaLoba, I just wanted to send you best wishes, and say how much I admire that you're taking a stand here. Please take care of yourself, and wishing you all the best with your treatment and continuing care.

So sorry this has happened to you OP Hope your treatment has otherwise gone well. I agree with those pp advising a complaint to the HCPC as well as the NHS Trust involved. Losing their job/being disciplined does not automatically mean a professional is suspended/struck of the register for their profession. The HCPC are there to protect the public from poor or unsafe practitioners and are not a professional body. They are a regulator who ensure certain standards are met by certain professions.

Thank you for speaking up, LaLoba.

LaLoba it's amazing and brilliant that you're pursuing this, paying it forward for other women, when you must be beyond exhausted, and emotionally fragile, and just want to go home and rest.

Kudos to your tenacity

Wishing you a speedy recovery

similarminimar - "I think a professional body is highly unlikely to take action against a clinician who walked into a room and left again."

The HCPC is not a "professional body". In this case, the relevant professional body is the Society of Radiographers.

In the simplest terms:

• a "professional body" is a self-governing, "voluntary membership club" with some restrictions on membership and is usually a Registered Charity

• The HCPC is a statutory, regulatory body charged with protecting the public :

www.hcpc-uk.org/about-us/

• the HCPC could be described as the "Health Care Professions Police"

• the HCPC decides who is qualified and fit to practice in the UK using specific "protected titles"

(eg. "Radiology Therapist" is not a "protected title", it is a job title for a specialist Radiographer - and "Radiographer" is legislated as a "protected title" under the Health Professions Order 2001)

• HCPC registration is mandatory for relevant professionals to practice in the UK

• to continue to be registered, professionals have to maintain evidence of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and be prepared to submit this evidence on demand as part of a random audit at the time of annual renewal of registration

• there is an annual Registration fee and if this is not paid then Registration is lapsed and the professional is not entitled to practice.

• the NHS requires evidence of Registration annually and a clinician could be sacked or disciplined if they fail to re-register (if not sacked then they would be automatically demoted to an unqualified role on the relevant pay grade and are not eligible to take on a qualified role until they are re-registered. Other disciplinary sanctions are locally determined.)

• it is a criminal offence for someone to offer services in the NHS, private, voluntary sector or independent practice using a "protected title" if they are not Registered with the HCPC under that title

www.hcpc-uk.org/concerns/what-we-investigate/misuse-of-title/

• the HCPC has the power to prosecute relevant criminal offences:

"Articles 39 and 39A of the Health Professions Order 2001 (the Order) create criminal offences relating to:

• the misuse of the designated titles which are protected under the Order1 and the making of false claims relating to being HCPC-registered or qualified in a relevant profession;

• the controlled act of hearing aid dispensing;

• procuring fraudulent entries in the HCPC register; and

• non-compliance with orders and directions made during the fitness to practise and registration appeals processes.

The Council has authorised the Chief Executive and the Director of Fitness to Practise to oversee the investigation and prosecution of offences under those Articles, but subject to this prosecution policy."

www.hcpc-uk.org/globalassets/resources/policy/prosecution-policy-protection-of-title.pdf

Obviously, if the HCPC received a concern which simply stated that a clinician "walked into a room and left again" then they would seek further information from the person raising the concern, by telephone or in writing.

However, the OP has explained in some detail that this is not all that happened, so she would not be raising a concern in those terms.

The HCPC would not be able to reduce her concern in the way that you summarise it without ignoring all the other facts brought to their attention.

Given the HCPC remit, the information provided above and my previous experience of dealing with the HCPC, I doubt that they would seek to misrepresent the nature of the concern as "walked into a room and left again" and, in so doing, trivialise this incident.

Aaagh!! Typo! A "Radiotherapist" is probably employed as a "Therapeutic Radiographer" which is also a "protected title".

I understand it was not at all trivial for the OP and am sorry she had such a horrible time. She should certainly talk to PALS. But surely the defence to this could well be - I didn't know she was in the room - I went in expecting it be empty/to see another patient. She shouted 'get out get out', I left. I am sorry for the distress'. Apart from interpretations of looks/tone there is nothing additional in the OPs description. The background to this of course makes it worse for her, but does not negate the possibility of simple mistake.

I think any approach to regulatory authorities is very likely to end in no case to answer - which may itself be drawn out and distressing.

Yo

Given that the OP stated that the team responsible were quite keen for her to make a complaint, they obviously believe that there may well be a case to answer.

There may also be other complaints in the future, or indeed existing from the past. If people don't complain because they're worried it won't go anywhere, then people can carry on behaving like this with impunity.

@LaLoba I've just seen that you're in Wales. If you contact your local Community Health Council, they should be able to help you to make your complaint.

www.wales.nhs.uk/ourservices/directory/CommunityHealthCouncils

There may also be other complaints in the future, or indeed existing from the past. If people don't complain because they're worried it won't go anywhere, then people can carry on behaving like this with impunity.

This. So many women give up on speaking up because it is so burdensome, and I can't say I blame them either. But I'm so grateful to the ones that do. Even if they don't get the results they hoped for, they are laying the groundwork to get these types out of at least some places where there are vulnerable women. I get the impression your team of female carers feel the same way.

Thank you, @LaLoba.

But surely the defence to this could well be - I didn't know she was in the room - I went in expecting it be empty/to see another patient.

Not really. He caught my husband and my attention because he was hovering around, standing in my way as I was being led into the treatment room, wearing a gown that made it clear I would be undressed.

My husband was with me in the inner waiting area (usually patients only) as I was unsteady on my feet due to my chronic illness. Husband waited a moment or two as this man, who was not part of my treatment team, appeared to be about to follow me in. He was indeed planning to follow me, but he waited until my husband had returned to the waiting room to do so.

Both this creep’s horrified colleagues, and his head of department (who was clearly expecting my complaint, so had a full day to ask questions before she spoke with me) agreed that he knew I was there, and that I would be undressed.

A quick glance at the trust standards tell me he is clearly in breach of them, whether he tries to claim it was an accident or not.

I don’t think you mean badly, but what you’re doing here is part of why women stay silent. I won’t.

I'm really sorry OP

I second the advice to contact Macmillan to help you make a complaint. If the team responsible are keen for you to complain it seems likely he has form.

What a rotten thing to happen, especially at your most vulnerable.

Ive nothing to add but i hope you get a good resolution

Ugh, there is just no situation creepy men won't exploit.

Wishing you strength for your treatment and your much needed complaint.

@LaLoba I just want to clarify what I said in my previous post. The Community Health Councils in Wales aren't part of the NHS (although it might look like it from the web address). They are an independent body which represents patients. Their advocacy service can help you through every step of the complaints procedure. It's worth getting in touch with your local branch.

Links to all the regional CHCs here.
www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/899/home