Stafford Hospital Public Inquiry - Criminal prosecutions?

[John Marwood]

I realise that this is a subject that causes many painful feelings and memories, some very recent, some ongoing, and there also exists a much a jaded and helpless feeling about the state of our local hospital which continues to receive poor reports


What is the best that we Staffordians can hope for from this latest Inquiry and will the latest chief executive ever have a day when is he not apologising for some hideous clinical errors, huge payouts for mistakes, or potentially criminal cover ups?

 

[staffordjas]

I can't see things ever changing there!
It looks very good when the TV cameras are filming and when I had my operation in September last year the nurses were being super efficient when the 'suited brigade' were visiting the ward. They need the officials to suddenly appear un-announced so that they can see what is really going on.

I sent a copy of my letter of complaint ,concerning my stay and the appalling treatment and abuse of elderly patients on my ward, to Julie Bailey last year. I received a phone call last week confirming that things still hadn't changed on Ward 8.

A solicitors contacted me last week for permission to use my letters for use in the enquiry. Hopefully my very small contribution will help to get things improved. But one thing for sure...I am dreading having to ever be re-admitted to that ward at any time!!

 

[Hetairoi]

The last report said that all the management were concerned with was meeting targets and cost cutting, I have seen this in so many of the jobs I have done where nothing else matters apart from meeting their targets!

Until we replace that culture with a culture where patient care is the most important thing I can't see things improving.

Unfortunately this culture of meeting targets is so deeply ingrained now that it will take a long time to get rid of it.

If anyone is keeping an eye on the latest enquiry can they post regular reports on this web site as they would be very useful to a lot of people.

 

[kilmaccumsey]

i work for the NHS . and we are being bullied to achieve targets everyday, there ive said .i will probobly get the sack now..........

 

[TheWifey]

most of the nurses there do the very best they can, its not their fault that they are so understaffed and unfortunately this results in some patients being neglected. i had a serious injury a couple of months ago and cannot fault the care i was given, maybe i was lucky but i have heard lots of people with horror stories. Stafford is not the only hospital with problems, i suspect there are worse.

 

[Withnail]

i work for the NHS . and we are being bullied to achieve targets everyday, there ive said .i will probobly get the sack now..........

Don't tell them your name Pike!

The problem is not necessarily with targets themselves - they can be an effective way of keeping track of how well you are doing with what it is you want to do.

Having too many of them and then being slavishly enthralled to meet them, whether they be reasonable or not, is where they go wrong.

 

[Jay]

I realise that the hospital has had failings in the past, as all do. However my dad was recently rushed into Stafford Hospital after suffering a stroke. I'm happy to go on record to say that the care he received was first class from his admission, treatment through to his aftercare.
I'm sympathetic to those who have lost loved ones through failings but let's stop knocking our hospital and start giving praise where it's due. Sure, mistakes happen but they always have done and always will. The vast majority of staff there are exceptional individuals who carry out an extremely difficult job very well - often under difficult circumstances.
As for the inquiry, I'm not sure what the outcome will be. But come on Staffordians, be proud of our hospital and those who work in it!

 

[basil]

The inquiry started today and was reported on the evening news, interesting the previous head honcho will not be called to give evidence it seems he's not very well, Post Traumatic Stress!! You couldna make it up .........



Admin edit: Moved post to correct thread.

 

[proactive]

In my opinion the hospital still has some serious failings. Having spent time in A&E recently with a friend who was in great pain having to wait over 2 hours before they got round to administering pain killers I know that only too well.

However, no large institution like this can be fixed overnight, however much we might like it to be. It will take time and unfortunately during the time it takes the many hard-working staff there will be tarred with the same brush. Whether the current head honcho is the right man to lead the hospital out of its troubles or not is another matter.

I would hope that the inquiry will achieve 2 things. Bring some closure and a sense not only of justice, but that the country and the government care about what happened to those that are bereaved. Identify exactly what went wrong and why, in order to prevent it happening elsewhere in the NHS and identify any other hospitals that this may be happening in.

 

[Tinkerbell]

http://news.aol.co.uk/uk-news/story/twins-die-at-scandal-hit-hospital/1393312?icid=main|uk|dl1|link5|http%3A%2F%2Fnews.aol.co.uk%2Fuk-news%2Fstory%2Ftwins-die-at-scandal-hit-hospital%2F1393312

Very sad news, a staff member appears to have caused the death of new born twins.

As bad as it is, there is still some good staff in that hospital, that must be getting increasingly despondent

 

[Big Pete]

I've just spent 4 days in Stafford Hospital after going for some tests and being rushed into A&E after the staff spotted something they didn't like on an X-Ray.

My care was generally very good with some really good staff both on the specialist and nursing sides. However, I did witness some severe failings including one quite serious neglect incident.

My major gripe was being told I had a temperature and couldn't go home until it went down, and then having my bed parked up with my head right next to hottest heater in the world ever, with none of the staff able to do anything about it.

I also found it frustrating that in my 3 nights I had no sleep whatsoever due to the noise and light levels. Not good !!!

 

[proactive]

I see David Kidney will be making an appearance at the inquiry on Thursday. Bet that will be good to watch. I remember when he did 2 weeks 'work experience' at the hospital, which was during the time all the horribleness was going on, he stated that the most important thing he'd witnessed was that the hospital wasn't doing enough to meet it's recycling obligations!

Hope it's a comfy chair David...

 

[wizzard]

I've just spent 4 days in Stafford Hospital after going for some tests and being rushed into A&E after the staff spotted something they didn't like on an X-Ray.

My care was generally very good with some really good staff both on the specialist and nursing sides. However, I did witness some severe failings including one quite serious neglect incident.

My major gripe was being told I had a temperature and couldn't go home until it went down, and then having my bed parked up with my head right next to hottest heater in the world ever, with none of the staff able to do anything about it.

I also found it frustrating that in my 3 nights I had no sleep whatsoever due to the noise and light levels. Not good !!!

When I was in Stafford Hospital after my RTA in '93, I could only sleep during the day, the lights did it for me as well.

 

[John Marwood]

I see David Kidney will be making an appearance at the inquiry on Thursday. Bet that will be good to watch. I remember when he did 2 weeks 'work experience' at the hospital, which was during the time all the horribleness was going on, he stated that the most important thing he'd witnessed was that the hospital wasn't doing enough to meet it's recycling obligations!

Hope it's a comfy chair David...

If you attend keep us posted please

 

[John Marwood]

'Infected'is due up today

If anyone is going I am sure we would appreciate a report

 

[70-plus]

Apparently Cllr Chris Baron and Cllr Anne Edgerler were in front of the hospital enquiry as they are chair and vice-chair of the health scrutiny committee on the Borough Council and both said that they had not read any of the papers and had no idea what was going on. They were supposed to scrutinise the hospital and according to the Express and Star just sat in meetings with no idea what was going on. Well done Julie Bailey for calling them useless councillors, not fit for the job. Fancy going in front of an official public enquiry and stating they had not read any documents and did not know what was going on. What stupid, empty headed women they are...

 

[tek-monkey]

So the health scrutiny committee completely failed to read any documents that scrutinised the hospital? Priceless, you couldn't make it up.

Just fire the top 6 levels of management across the whole hospital and start again, in fact fire everyone that isn't actually public facing or doing an admin job, its not like it could get any worse. Maybe promote a few front line staff up to management and see if they have a scooby instead?

 

[John Marwood]

Apparently Cllr Chris Baron and Cllr Anne Edgerler were in front of the hospital enquiry as they are chair and vice-chair of the health scrutiny committee on the Borough Council and both said that they had not read any of the papers and had no idea what was going on. They were supposed to scrutinise the hospital and according to the Express and Star just sat in meetings with no idea what was going on. Well done Julie Bailey for calling them useless councillors, not fit for the job. Fancy going in front of an official public enquiry and stating they had not read any documents and did not know what was going on. What stupid, empty headed women they are...

I am advised that this tack was advised

 

[Withnail]

Seems to be the done thing these days - given the choice between looking complicit or looking like a useless tw*t, abandon all sense of shame and opt for the latter.

 

[basil]

Unless of course they were 'got at'........ allegedly.......