I don’t normally do this but as I’ve been asked what I think of the Sunday Times article on Shrewsbury, here are my thoughts.

thetimes.co.uk/article/95c4df… The headline isn’t accurate. The 300 figure may/may not be right - we’ll find out on Wednesday - but the suggestion that a fixation on natural birth was the root cause of the problem is far too simplistic.

Say hello to Sonia Deleon, a woman with a real zest for life, who loved singing & dancing. She also had some learning disabilities. Sonia spent much of last April in & out of hospital, testing positive for Covid at one stage. She unfortunately died of a heart attack. Her sister, Sally-Rose, says the family only found out that a do not resuscitate decision was on Sonia’s medical files after she died.

NEW: A patient with dementia was physically restrained on 19 separate occasions so that medical attention could be forcibly administered. Security guards were repeatedly called to help nurses and the man’s request for them to stop were ignored.

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-542531… The man was subjected to either bladder scans or the insertion of catheters, often without sedation. Medical staff would call security guards to hold down his arms and legs, sometimes bruising him in the process.

NEW: At least 25 people have died at a care home in Durham after an outbreak of Coronavirus. The death toll is thought to be the highest in a care home in Britain so far. Melbury Court, an 87 bed home owned by HC-One, provides a mix of residential, nursing and dementia care. Among the victims was 92 year old Samuel Wilson. His family say they believe he contracted the virus after the care home insisted he go to hospital for day treatment. His grand-daughter told us: “In my opinion they took an unnecessary risk, a risk that cost grandad his life.”

Spent the day at the #JusticeforAmyAllan inquest where an expert witness told the court that mistakes by @GreatOrmondSt “contributed to her death”. Full details here bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotla… Dr Stephen Playfor said that decisions around Amy’s care amounted to “gross medical errors”. The court heard the doctor who removed her ventilation tubes had returned to India after his contract @GreatOrmondSt ended last week & wouldn’t be appearing at the inquest.