O/T Morecambe Bay NHS Trust-Whistleblower abused

[Keith]

I've just finished reading "Whistle in the Wind", the horrific story of Peter Duffy, a [then] Consultant Surgeon with Morecambe Bay NHS Trust, who blew the whistle on poor standards within the Trust, including an avoidable death and missed cancers.

As a nurse, and having grown up in Morecambe, I found the book engrossing. The personal pain that Mr Duffy experienced because he chose to speak out was horrific but we should be thankful for his bravery.
Coincidentally as a Manx resident, Peter Duffy is now working on the Isle of Man. It looks like the NHS loss is the Isle of Man's gain.

If you are in the Morecambe/Lancaster/Barrow/Kendal area, you really should read this book, then demand improvements. If you are a health sector worker, than you should read this book, but not let it put you off being a whistle-blower if required.

And if you are a hospital manager, I hope you can look at yourself in the mirror and know that you hold yourself to a higher standard than management in Morecambe Bay NHS Trust.

Engrossing and frightening. If you or your family in the Morecambe or Lancaster area have had renal issues, this book is essential reading.

On a personal basis, I acquired my disability due to dreadful errors at the Walton Centre NHS Trust in Liverpool. They are determined not to learn from the errors that disabled me. I'm aware of one person who has exactly the same disability as me, who experienced the same errors as I did, on the same ward. The NHS must stop SAYING that they listen to whistleblowers and 'learn from mistakes' and ACTUALLY do so. No more words, action.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Whistle-Wind-d ... 1082231967

[redrobo]

We all have our own stories to tell of the NHS and treatment received.

I can only comment on my experience but I have to say that when I had recent reconstruction surgery of my elbow at Barrow part of the Morecambe Bay Trust they couldn't have cared for me any more than they did. They were simply excellent both leading up to my operation and afterwards when i needed considerable pain killing drugs.

I have to say that my surgery in Milnthorpe (the Stoneleigh) is also excellent and providing i ring before 9am in a morning I'm guaranteed to see one of the 5 doctors there the very same day.

Speak as you find but for me If you are genuinely ill then the NHS in our area is superb.

However my experience of the Torbay A&E when i did my elbow in initially did lead a lot to be desired.

Maybe we are fortunate in this area as my experience and that of my family has been excellent.

[Bare bum]

That's probably right for most people, however (and I think you are missing the point here redrobo), when mistakes are made there is clearly a climate of dodgy clinical justifications, maybe cover ups and defence from a robust legal department.
I have experience of challenging, complaining about and questioning NHS actions concerning a family member and have found the responses slippery at best and downright dishonest at its worst.
It's good when it's good but when mistakes are made they really do need to create a culture of how can we learn from this rather than how can we get away with it?

[Keith]

That's probably right for most people, however (and I think you are missing the point here redrobo), when mistakes are made there is clearly a climate of dodgy clinical justifications, maybe cover ups and defence from a robust legal department.

That is exactly the point that Neil has missed. I'm huge supporter of the NHS (and our Manx NHS). But attacking whistleblowers is disgraceful. Bullying people to be quiet when they are aware of substandard care or abuse should not be acceptable. Morecambe Bay NHS Trust has already been the subject of a scandal (maternity services in Barrow that led to numerous avoidable deaths). You'd think they would have learned from that and now do everything they could to encourage whistleblowing, not hide from it?

[sandgrown]

Mr. Duffy was a highly regarded consultant at the Urology department at lancaster and I was grateful for my treatment there, but he was discarded ruthlessly and a great loss to the RLI, he never had justice.

[KenH]

The treatment my FIL received at the RLI was abysmal. A series of mistakes, complaints ignored, etc. Arrogant consultant who dismissed our concerns/suggestions as "he knew best" only to have to back pedal when what we suggested weeks earlier turned out to be what he was suffering from (after several weeks in hospital getting steadily worse). He was a death's door when we made a formal complaint and he was mysteriously moved overnight to Blackpool hospital (without notice nor reason), where he finally received proper treatment and made a good recovery once he was being treated by staff who actually cared. (It turned out a chest drain had been put in wrong and no one had noticed for a few days, even when nothing came out!).

[P/T Indie]

My wife's a nurse and is reading it at the moment we also know the family it is based on
Part of me wants to read it but as I'm going through tests at the moment with the NHS I think I would rather not know.

[KenH]

Part of me wants to read it but as I'm going through tests at the moment with the NHS I think I would rather not know.

Personally, I'd want to be as well informed as possible so that I can keep a watchful eye on them and have the confidence to challenge if things don't look right. Far too many people ignore their instincts and stay silent to their detriment. It's sad but true that mistakes are inevitable, especially in such a huge disjointed organisation. It's also sad but true that a very tiny minority are arrogant or incompetent and as the book proves, whistle-blowers aren't tolerated well in the NHS, so the "weak links" can continue for far too long.

[Seasider9601]

The treatment my FIL received at the RLI was abysmal.

My partners father was in the RLI with cancer prior to being admitted to the hospice last year and whilst in the RLI one arrogant, horrible nurse looked at him and said, "how do you even know it IS cancer...???"

[P/T Indie]

The treatment my FIL received at the RLI was abysmal.

My partners father was in the RLI with cancer prior to being admitted to the hospice last year and whilst in the RLI one arrogant, horrible nurse looked at him and said, "how do you even know it IS cancer...???"

Sounds like all the GP's I see, well you can stand up and walk so why are you saying their is an issue where there isn't.
It seems unless you are in severe pain or can't walk they won't spend their budget on you.

On another note has anyone tried making a GP appoitment in Lancaster since they all merged