PA Funding/Promised Purge of Cruel NHS Nurses Empty Promises
Press Release NHS Reform - www.nhsreformgroup.com Contact info@nhsreformgroup.com 2nd February 2011.
NHS Reform Group wishes to outline the status of regulation in relation to nursing staff. In the past, the CHRE outlined the faults within the NMC http://www.nmc-uk.org/Documents/CHRE/CHRE Perf Rev 2008_09 Std 2 Publication version 2009.pdf. The CHRE criticised the NMC for serious weaknesses in its culture, the conduct of its council and ability to protect the interests of the public.
One of our members recently obtained the following statistics in an Freedom of Information Act 2000 request regarding the prosecution rate of the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
2006 = 161 cases referred by public - outcome NO Registrants struck off.
2007 = 155 cases referred by public - outcome 1 Registrant struck off.
2008 = 242 cases referred by public - outcome 5 Registrants struck off.
2009 = 554 cases referred by public - outcome NO Registrants struck off.
2010 = 779 cases referred by public- outcome NO Registrants struck off.
Within the same FOI it is noted that there has also been a dramatic increase of referrals by the police to the NMC but with NO nurses being struck off. NB. Police Referrals of nurses to the NMC =
2004 - 44
2005 - 196
2006 - 302
2007 - 308
2008 - 489
2009 - 478
2010 - 818 [Jan - Oct] With no strike offs. The Patients Association Report of 2009 produced a media frenzy about poor nursing standards, with the Chief Nursing Officer, Christine Beasley saying that there would be a purge of 'cruel" nurses: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1209334/Revealed-The-cruelty-suffered-1m-elderly-NHS-patients.html BUT 18 months on and there hasn't been the promised purge and the nurses who caused so much distress to those cited in the Patients Association Report are still 'nursing'. Why has Ms. Beasley not followed up her comments: "nurses who offer very poor levels of care should be struck off the medical register and banned from working in the NHS". It is a known fact that the elderly lives are being needlessly lost due to the substandard care of nurses. We wish to question why this as not been followed up by the Patients Association?
Sadly poor nursing care continues with the revelations in a book by Nurse Joan Woodcocks, who spent her life in the NHS. She exposes the unthinking neglect of patients by some of today's nurses. Her words will shock you, but make a vital contribution to the debate over the NHS's future.Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1352389/NHS-nurses-cruelty-exposed-Joan-Woodcocks-book.html#ixzz1CoD1XcLw
Our 184 members, including some of those whose relatives were in both the Patients Association Report 2009 and 2010, have complained about poor care. On the strength of their suggestions, NHS Reform Group recommended that the Health Select Committee review the NHS Complaints Procedure. This suggestion was taken up. [please see attached document dated 1/9/10 where Andrew Lansley's Chief of Staff assured us that this, our suggestion, would be brought to the Health Secretary's attention]. NHS Reform and its members were broadly overlooked in the Health Select Committee's review on the 1st February 2011. This leads us to question whether the HSC is essentially "cherry picking" their evidence. We note that the Patients Association are the government's choice for the "patients voice". This is despite heavy criticism into their funding by big pharma and the government. Our members are extremely angered by the Health Select Committee's decision to overlook their valid concerns. We conclude that the inquiry into the Complaints procedure is not an Independent one and recommend that the criteria and procedures concerning selection of witnesses is reviewed by Parliament to ensure equal opportunities to ALL members of the public. The NHS Reform Group NB: Ms. Christine Beasley - Chief Nurse has recently written to us to say that there have been strike off's of nurses by the NMC as can be seen on their website. However these strike offs were NOT due to concerns raised by the public or relatives as can be seen in the FOI stats above. The NMC strike off nurses when a Hospital Trust reports them. ie a whistleblower is easy to get rid of! Ends - contact Mr. M. Cubells 07833 686555
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