So here is a select few stories from 2019 worth noting now as we turn the page... First up was this story about dodgy actions by NHSI on Shrewsbury Hospital - we know now why they were so concerned. This 'panel' was abandoned shortly after this story:
In March Tom Kark QC gave me an exclusive interview spelling out why he believed the time had come for stronger regulation of managers in the NHS (This has been an issue a decade in discussing and still no action)
In April the High Court granted the parents of Jonnie Meek a second inquest. This was a major win for them after I first exposed the cover-up in their son's care back in 2015:
Also in April HSJ revealed tonnes of clinical waste including body parts was piling up at hospitals but it also emerged the Govt had dropped a key safe staffing measure, another step backwards:
In June @hsib_org whistleblowers raised serious concerns about how the new body was being run. With new legislation now in Parliament have things improved?
Also in June, one of the hardest stories I've ever worked on...a cover-up of child cancer care, conflicts of interest at the highest level and pressure applied to clincians. More still to come on this I think:
In September it emerged how the NHS was proposing to use credit agencies to check everyone's details to find overseas users to charge:
In October, having moved to the Independent the scale of institutional abuse against learning disabled children detained for years in hospitals was revealed:
In November, the scale of the Shrewsbury Hospital maternity scandal was revealed. This is far from the end for this partcular story:
Just a few weeks ago the variation in neonatal mortality was laid bare in a clinical audit report delayed by NHSE since July:
So as we head in to 2020, for patient safety, I think there are red lights flashing across the board. Efforts to improve are happening but they feel lightweight against the scale of the problem. As well as "loving the NHS" the govt needs to tackle some ugly truths. #HappyNewYear
