OldCrone I posted the context of the allegations of 'safeguarding concerns at GIDS' made by Sonia Appleby who is employed as children's Safeguarding Lead by NHS Tavistock & Portman Trust.
A pp had referenced that some parents were concerned. Its important that any parent/carer who has a child treated by an NHS trust where Child Protection/Safeguarding allegations have been made is aware of both the nature of the allegations and the background of the professional who is whistleblowing.
There are specific aspects to the allegations and the case which may have very serious implications for all children treated with UK health services.
Wider context of whistleblowing as a vital part of the Child Protection & Safeguarding frameworks:
'What is Whistleblowing in Health and Social Care?'
by Lauren Hockley Published: Wed, 19 Sep 2018
(extract)
"Whistleblowing in the health and social care sectors is of immense importance, given the scale of harm that can be done to patients and clients through malpractice.
Whistleblowing is where staff report concerns about wrongdoing, most commonly seen at work. It is seen across all industry sectors and is gathering momentum as an increased emphasis on transparency sweeps through society. The following types of concerns can be classified as whistleblowing:
Unsafe patient care
Poor clinical practice
Failure to properly safeguard patients
Inadequate administration of medicines
Untrained staff
Unsafe working conditions
Lack of policies
Bullying at work
Unwell or stressed staff who are not seeking help
These complaints differ from personal grievances as they have a public rather than private interest. Sometimes it can be difficult to know if a complaint classifies as whistleblowing or not. The NHS Whistleblowing Helpline can help to answer this type of question, for NHS and social care workers. Similarly, the charity Public Concern at Work can provide free and confidential legal advice. Whistleblowers can be employees, former employees, trainees, agency workers or members of an organisation.
Why is Whistleblowing Important in the Health and Social Care Sectors?
Those working in the health and social care sectors have a duty to put patients and the people they are working for first, as outlined in their professional code of conduct. Therefore, if an action is likely to cause harm to these people, there is a duty to report it. Essentially, whistleblowing is an early warning system that allows malpractice to be addressed before it results in serious harm. The nature of the health and social care sectors means that mistakes that would be considered minor in other sectors could have serious consequences for those involved. Patients are often at the receiving end of malpractice and require our protection accordingly.
The Bristol Royal Infirmary scandal highlights the atrocious damage that can be done by overlooking malpractice in the health and social care sectors. Around 35 babies tragically died from 1990 to 1995 at the hands of Bristol Royal Infirmary's cardiac surgeons, whilst numerous more suffered irreversible brain damage. The unit continued to carry out high-risk operations at the expense of children's safety, and in far too many cases their lives, in order to make the unit a centre of excellence. The practice continued until Steve Bolsin, a consultant cardiac anaesthetist, blew the whistle on the astoundingly high mortality rate in the unit. When Bolsin approached management with the shocking mortality figures he had compiled, he was turned away and ignored. The CEO of the trust nearly fired him for his persistence with the matter. Bristol has been described as having a "club culture" where a few people had far too much power, which essentially bred ignorance to these malpractices. Had Steve Bolsin not courageously stepped forward to blow the whistle, countless more young lives could have been lost." (continues)
www.delta-net.com/compliance/whistleblowing/faqs/what-is-whistleblowing-in-health-and-social-care