Wednesday 17 July 2013

Careers destroyed with no appeal process and no justice

Careers destroyed with no appeal process and no justice

I find it very difficult to open emails from very distressed registrants, who have suffered horrendous injustices but have nowhere to turn to have their stories told and to be reinstated.  There is such injustice and it is so hard for people to believe except it has happened to the team members at CAUSE (see www.suspension-nhs.org) so we know only too well.

One of the worst was of a registrant who had actually completed her training as a midwife but had spent the final year of her placement in a bullying environment that made her ability to work very difficult.  She said she became a different person.

She was moved to a supportive hospital when she failed her 1st placement of her final year, where she passed well.  She passed her second placement too but was back in the bullying environment for the 3rd and final placement.

Allegations of a couple of drug errors were made but were false.  Criticisms were made of her practice but no action plan was written.  However, unbelievably, the hospital and the university both claimed that an action plan had been written but that the student had the only copy!  Either they were totally incompetent or this was a lie, but they got away with it.

The student was devastated.  She appealed to various bodies who believed what the hospital and university told them, without requesting sight of the documents that didn’t exist. 

She was unpopular for challenging some practices and for reporting bullying behaviour and that finished her career.

She has been unable to get any other organisation to sponsor her to finish her training and lives with the great sadness of this situation.

Worse still, as she noted herself, was the complete waste of tax payers’ money and of her skills that she had developed for a job she longed to do.

Major failings of the Care Quality Commission, with the possibility of a cover up, to hide these, have come to light.  They demonstrate the possibility of serious corruption in high places and the total lack of accountability that currently exists.

Not only do these people need to be investigated but also the many staff who have suffered horrendous injustices, should also have a chance to tell their stories and see justice.  There would be a great influx of dedicated and committed staff who would help to change the culture of the NHS because the numbers are so high.

That is, if they ever wanted to return…

In great sadness
Julie