My agony over letter from NHS whistleblower
Note to widower sparks witch-hunt
A WIDOWER whose wife died after surgery received a letter from an NHS whistleblower which said botched care led to her death – in a move that ‘knocked him sideways’.
However, the anonymous allegations about Susan Warby, a mother of two, sparked an extraordinary witch-hunt by West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust as it sought to find who had leaked the details.
Senior doctors complained of being bullied and intimidated as they were ordered to provide fingerprints and examples of their handwriting in a bid to identify the culprit, and warned they would be treated as suspects if they refused.
The details emerged at an inquest into Mrs Warby’s death, which was adjourned yesterday.
Mrs Warby was taken to West Suffolk Hospital on July 26, 2018, after she collapsed at home. Emergency surgery for a perforated bowel was carried out the next day, but she died on August 30 with the cause of death recorded as multiple organ failure.
Her husband Jon, 54, a retired police officer who now works as a delivery driver, received the letter in October 2018. Speaking after the hearing, he said: ‘It knocked me sideways, completely.’ It claimed glucose was used instead of saline to keep an arterial line clear – a thin catheter inserted into an artery to monitor blood pressure – a mix-up the hospital admitted could cause ‘brain damage or death’. In another failing, when the line was relocated, Mrs Warby’s lung was punctured.
It is claimed that West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust – which denies threatening staff with disciplinary action – spent £1,512 on a fingerprint expert and £968 on a handwriting specialist in an attempt to identify the whistleblower.
The hospital, in Bury St Edmunds, is in Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s constituency, who has spoken out about supporting whistleblowers.
Mr Warby, who is planning to sue the trust for medical negligence, added: ‘Transparency is important in upholding patient safety, and staff should feel able to speak out on any issues they identify in the workplace.’
The Doctors’ Association UK said last night: ‘The trust’s actions were utterly reprehensible. We remain bewildered as to why this was deemed to be an acceptable approach.’
The inquest was adjourned to a date yet to be set.
FAILINGS in the NHS are inevitably serious. For patients, they can literally mean life or death.
That’s why concerned staff should not fear blowing the whistle on potentially catastrophic medical blunders. So it’s profoundly disturbing that Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s local hospital has been accused of a witch-hunt. Doctors were ordered to provide fingerprints and handwriting samples to identify who wrote to a widower about mistakes in his wife’s treatment.
This is unforgiveable. Following scandals at Mid- Staffs and elsewhere, ministers promised that NHS employees who exposed poor care would not be bullied, disciplined or sacked.
Yet, clearly, little has changed. And little will until real teeth are given to an independent watchdog to punish coverups. Anything less betrays whistleblowers – and the patients they seek to protect.
■ LONG before Greta Thunberg became a household name, Bank of England governor Mark Carney was banging the drum on climate change – warning global warming was a timebomb for City firms. Now he’ll lead UK preparations for a major eco summit. Yes, his Brexit predictions were off-beam. But, as Australian fires rage, on the environment he’s been proved prescient.