What would you do - not brave enough to be a whistle-blower

[RollyPau]

Am a secretary at a private hospital, typing for all consultants who pay the hospital for the typing service (some don't pay and type themselves). Came into work on Saturday, there was a great big commotion then found out a patient died during a 'routine op'. Told by auxiliary staff that the commotion was when there was something missing, something not ordered for the op to restart the heart after cardiorespiratory arrest and staff had to run to an NHS hospital nearby, but there was not enough time. When typing the letter afterwards to the family with the full refund from the business department, not a word was mentioned about this. Am not big enough or brave enough to report it, but have the address of the family - I could send them a note? Everyone knows about it, even the reception ladies. Was the talk of the canteen for the week afterwards, so I am not dreaming or second-guessing, etc. There are 8 other secretaries who have access to the addresses but I was the one who typed the letter, and theoretically even though other secs have access to all the files, it would be easy to guess who did it. WWYD?

Is there a whistleblowing authority in your organisation you can contact?

Will there not be an inquest?

There should be a whistleblowing policy....if you follow this you will be protected. What an awful thing to have happened, and I would feel duty bound to speak up to save lives in the future. I think it would be quite upsetting for the family to get a random note, I think it should go through official channels.

This^

I really think you need to blow the whistle. This is medical negligence on a fatal level. It will protect other people in future and may save lives.
An anonymous report to a newspaper could be a good start.
Bravo OP, whatever you do - even just asking the question - you are moral and brave, and I hope you can find a way forward within your comfort zone.

You need to blow the whistle.

There should be an inquest into a death during a routine op. And unfortunately things like this happen all the time and get covered up. Do the right thing and speak to someone - it can be done in confidence - but you somehow need to ensure the inquest knows this information. You could call the non-emergency police line and ask for advice on how to do this.

As am anaesthetist I really don't follow the story at all. There's nothing we would order in advance of surgery that can help restart the heart. I'd probably raise it with someone clinical (medical director maybe) as they're likely to have more understanding of the events, and no offence to auxiliaries I've often overheard them repeating things that couldn't be further from what actually happened, they've just picked up bits of things they know of and incorrectly puzzled them. I definitely wouldn't go to the family, such a conversation needs to go from someone medical. Any death on the table goes to coroners for discussion, so it should naturally be looked into, but it should be escalated if genuinely nothing was fed back to the family

I'd find the whistle blowing policy.

But other than that I'd ask for this to be taken down.

I'm sure it can't be that common that a private hospital has had a death on them, ran to a nearby nhs hospital and the patient had died anyway.

And if anyone recognises this they'll know it's you because they'll know who typed the letter.

Plus the media will pick this up.

Don’t contact the family. That would be cruel. As a medical professional, your version of events sounds bizarre but any anomalies will be highlighted at the inquest. If you think that medical negligence has occurred, blow the whistle anonymously - but if this tragedy is being gossiped about throughout the hospital, maybe someone else already has.

It seems your letter was from the business department about finance ... you mention a full refund. Perhaps the more sensitive things were discussed or written about separately?

This.

Does your hospital have a Freedom to Speak up Guardian ? Or equivalent?
I'd raise by saying that you have heard some concerning discussions about the operation and the cause of death that you think should be independently investigated. At this point I don't think you have enough detail or medical knowledge to confirm the facts.

This death will have been referred by the medical examiner at the hospital to the coroner. If you are concerned, you could send an email to the coroners service and one of the officers will share this with the coroner to assist their decision making as to whether further investigation/an inquest is required (this is my job).

Don't contact the family, you don't actually know any details but you can call the coroners office and say there is this going around the hospital.