Friday, 3 October 2014
Poor managers v dynamic managers
Sometimes a leader in nursing in the NHS writes something that seems so patently obvious that it is quite breathtaking that it had to be written, but is also so true. Deputy chief nurse Pete Murphy did just that in an article for the Nursing Times about improving nursing (Nursing Times Staff Management article 24 9 14).
He wrote ‘You (as a deputy chief nurse) cannot sit in your office and be effective, you have to get out and about, see and talk to patients and staff to understand the opportunities and pressures that exist. Personal integrity is key.’
One of the saddest aspects of unjust and unnecessary suspensions, is the lack of knowledge by the managers concerned higher up the chain of command, who don’t know their staff, and don’t know that this is a silencing or bullying issue. Such disloyalty, such ignorance as to the very severe damage this action does to people, sometimes destroying them, is utterly depressing.
It also needs an environment where leaders are allowed to do this, to know staff in order to support them. In the early days of CAUSE, we heard from a first level manager who tried to do just that and was nearly destroyed. False allegations, suspension, disciplinary action, removal to another part of the organisation. It was more than a year before she was well enough to work again, outside the NHS of course. Who would trust anyone there again?
‘Personal integrity is key’ is the other staggering comment written by Mr Murphy. Something that you would expect to be a given, has to be written. That is another problem with unjust and unnecessary suspensions. The suspending manager now has to justify their action, prove themselves competent to their colleagues. A ‘transparent and fair investigation’ – they don’t know the meaning of these words. What they do know, is that they now have to prove their action was justified, so the witch hunt begins. Look at record keeping, talk to other staff to see if someone there will complain about this staff member who has annoyed the manager by speaking out or by being very good at their job and well respected by the patients. Integrity? They don’t know the meaning of that word either.
One of the aspects of the whole sordid business for family members and friends, observing events, is their astonishment and disbelief that this can happen without any other managers being aware and that the poor powerless staff member, the ‘accused’ has no redress. The words ‘kangaroo court’ are often used to describe these situations.
Thinking about the inquiry into whistleblowing by Sir Robert Francis, the team seem to be starting at the wrong end of the problem. Yes they need to hear people’s stories, the like of which they have already listened to in the Mid Staffs inquiry, but they also need to be interviewing the very managers involved in the injustices to see what can be done to prevent them from behaving in these horrendous ways. They won’t hear any truth from them of course. They will be trying to save their careers. That is what makes it so difficult.
So back to Mr Murphy. I hope his words have an impact but fear that the people who should be reading them, don’t take professional journals, don’t keep up to date and avoid self reflection like the plague.
Gloomily yet again!
Julie
Thursday, 18 September 2014
Whistleblowing Inquiry by Sir Robert Francis and unaccountable managers – an impossible situation to resolve
I despair of senior managers and leaders in the NHS ever understanding why whistleblowing is a very dangerous activity. All their urgings and all the policies and revised constitutions in the world will not change toxic organisations and therefore will not protect whistleblowers or patients. And now, to make matters worse, staff face possible disciplinary action if they ignore poor practice.
The Campaign Against Unnecessary Suspensions and Exclusions UK (CAUSE) was set up twelve years ago to provide information to NHS staff who have been wrongfully suspended, many of whom have tried to blow the whistle and been silenced.
How might staff get into this whistleblowing position? A common process is a nurse who works in an area with excellent leadership where staff are respected and consulted, then changes jobs. They start on a new ward to find poor working practices. They cannot understand why staff seem to tolerate these harmful practices.
They try having a quiet word with colleagues who seem approachable. Some may agree but others are defensive and hostile. They try speaking to the Ward Manager and get a negative response. By this time they are labelled as a trouble maker. Worse still, one day they are called into the office and asked to bring a union rep or colleague with them and in a state of shock they are told of vague, unsubstantiated allegations against them. To their disbelief they are suspended and marched off the premises. This scenario, and the ensuing processes, are unbelievable unless you have experienced them, as the team at CAUSE have done.
Repeatedly we hear of unaccountable managers protecting themselves and undertaking biased investigations, character assassination, lengthy suspensions, disciplinary hearings which resemble kangaroo courts and ultimately dismissal of staff who previously had exemplary work records. The human resources staff seem to feel they need to protect themselves so work with the managers. Undisclosed sums of taxpayers’ money are paid, in out of court settlements if the staff member has the energy and legal support to take their case to employment tribunal.
Being wrongfully suspended is the most harmful, destructive and devastating action that management can take against a staff member. It is devastating to their families too. Other staff think it is such a serious action to be taken, there must be something wrong and this person’s career and reputation is seriously damaged. The effect of this wrongly labelled ‘neutral act’ makes people ill. When colleagues who know what is happening, see all this, it is understandable that they feel powerless to change anything. Who in their right minds would raise a whisper let alone blow a whistle?
The unions have some proactive volunteer reps and fulltime officers who are well versed in employment law and not afraid to speak out for their members. However more often the fulltime officers are hard to contact, probably doubt the member’s innocence and will work for the least serious disciplinary outcome. A final written warning is viewed as a victory because dismissal has been avoided even though their member is not guilty of any misconduct.
Nationally CAUSE asked the unions to establish a joint working group to provide expertise to officers faced with these situations, but the numbers of people affected remain comparatively small and the resources of the unions are limited.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) hopes to develop a system to monitor systemic failure in trusts. So far they have ignored the processes I have been describing. This was clearly seen in their ruling for the M Haywood case by the Fitness to Practice team. They described the covertly filmed neglect as ‘failures of an exceptionally serious nature’ but then took no action against the perpetrators and the manager, who had conducted a woefully inadequate investigation . Instead they found the whistleblower guilty and struck her name from the register. The message to whistleblowers was clear – don’t expect us to protect public and staff by taking action where there is malfunctioning management.
The tragedies that have been uncovered will continue until the Department of Health and the Care Quality Commission face up to the complexity of the situation and the need to look at the indicators that suggest all is not well – the number of suspensions and how they are dealt with, levels of staff sickness and staff retention, and most importantly, patient outcomes, in order to identify and change these toxic organisations.
So will Sir Robert Francis be able to achieve anything, as he listens to peoples’ tragic stories? Will he be able to make recommendations that will change this dire situation? I so hope so, but while no action continues to be taken against managers who ignore employment processes and often seem to act out of malice or ignorance as to what constitutes danger to patients etc, then I doubt it.
Yours sadly
Julie
The Campaign Against Unnecessary Suspensions and Exclusions UK (CAUSE) was set up twelve years ago to provide information to NHS staff who have been wrongfully suspended, many of whom have tried to blow the whistle and been silenced.
How might staff get into this whistleblowing position? A common process is a nurse who works in an area with excellent leadership where staff are respected and consulted, then changes jobs. They start on a new ward to find poor working practices. They cannot understand why staff seem to tolerate these harmful practices.
They try having a quiet word with colleagues who seem approachable. Some may agree but others are defensive and hostile. They try speaking to the Ward Manager and get a negative response. By this time they are labelled as a trouble maker. Worse still, one day they are called into the office and asked to bring a union rep or colleague with them and in a state of shock they are told of vague, unsubstantiated allegations against them. To their disbelief they are suspended and marched off the premises. This scenario, and the ensuing processes, are unbelievable unless you have experienced them, as the team at CAUSE have done.
Repeatedly we hear of unaccountable managers protecting themselves and undertaking biased investigations, character assassination, lengthy suspensions, disciplinary hearings which resemble kangaroo courts and ultimately dismissal of staff who previously had exemplary work records. The human resources staff seem to feel they need to protect themselves so work with the managers. Undisclosed sums of taxpayers’ money are paid, in out of court settlements if the staff member has the energy and legal support to take their case to employment tribunal.
Being wrongfully suspended is the most harmful, destructive and devastating action that management can take against a staff member. It is devastating to their families too. Other staff think it is such a serious action to be taken, there must be something wrong and this person’s career and reputation is seriously damaged. The effect of this wrongly labelled ‘neutral act’ makes people ill. When colleagues who know what is happening, see all this, it is understandable that they feel powerless to change anything. Who in their right minds would raise a whisper let alone blow a whistle?
The unions have some proactive volunteer reps and fulltime officers who are well versed in employment law and not afraid to speak out for their members. However more often the fulltime officers are hard to contact, probably doubt the member’s innocence and will work for the least serious disciplinary outcome. A final written warning is viewed as a victory because dismissal has been avoided even though their member is not guilty of any misconduct.
Nationally CAUSE asked the unions to establish a joint working group to provide expertise to officers faced with these situations, but the numbers of people affected remain comparatively small and the resources of the unions are limited.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) hopes to develop a system to monitor systemic failure in trusts. So far they have ignored the processes I have been describing. This was clearly seen in their ruling for the M Haywood case by the Fitness to Practice team. They described the covertly filmed neglect as ‘failures of an exceptionally serious nature’ but then took no action against the perpetrators and the manager, who had conducted a woefully inadequate investigation . Instead they found the whistleblower guilty and struck her name from the register. The message to whistleblowers was clear – don’t expect us to protect public and staff by taking action where there is malfunctioning management.
The tragedies that have been uncovered will continue until the Department of Health and the Care Quality Commission face up to the complexity of the situation and the need to look at the indicators that suggest all is not well – the number of suspensions and how they are dealt with, levels of staff sickness and staff retention, and most importantly, patient outcomes, in order to identify and change these toxic organisations.
So will Sir Robert Francis be able to achieve anything, as he listens to peoples’ tragic stories? Will he be able to make recommendations that will change this dire situation? I so hope so, but while no action continues to be taken against managers who ignore employment processes and often seem to act out of malice or ignorance as to what constitutes danger to patients etc, then I doubt it.
Yours sadly
Julie
Saturday, 6 September 2014
The devastation of suspension and loss of employability
The devastation of suspension
Lack of understanding about the deadly impact of suspension is a failing I despair about. How will managers ever understand that to be cut off from one’s essential, life enhancing, rewarding work in the most humiliating, unexpected and shocking manner, is a blow that will cause psychological harm, even injury and in many cases, damage the person for life.
I wish I was exaggerating. The insights that follow are used with permission and anonymised to protect the sufferer. Read on and if you have any power to change this system, PLEASE use it.
Impact of Suspension
I was suspended by my line manager, motivated I believe by personal dislike. I was cleared of the false allegations over a protracted four month investigation and disciplinary process, involving two independent investigators. The process ended in me leaving the company, just like I had been told - almost no-one goes back to work after a suspension because the process destroys the necessary 'mutual trust and confidence' between employer and employee.
Now that I have been dismissed, I am free to work. However I am very unwell as a result of the suspension and the events that took place during my suspension. Suspension is not a routine decision, it is a ‘nuclear option.’
I say this because suspension is a form of exclusion, and human beings react badly to exclusion (probably ever since cavemen died, if they were thrown out of a cave). Employees suddenly must spend huge amounts of time, energy and money fighting the ‘machine’ that kicks in after suspension, replacing a productive day at work with an unfairly balanced dispute that acts negatively upon the employees and their families. It becomes very difficult to fight the case when there is limited access to the necessary information, due to the sanctions placed on a suspended employee.
If an employee is being investigated whilst still at work, they will continue to have good days and bad days like we all do. If the employee is suspended before being investigated, they are effectively stuck in a bad day and they can’t move on from that. It becomes difficult to eat or sleep because the employee is stuck at a particularly troublesome point in time, repeating over and over in their brain whatever happened on those last few days at work.
Employees can quickly become deskilled and lose confidence after suspension. In my case, I had a job that was 70% outward facing, and I simply disappeared one day. I was locked in the battleground that is a suspension, fighting to clear my name, and not able to give any explanation to key stakeholders as to why I had disappeared.
I was moved by the section of the NHS Suspension website which examines the effect on those close to the suspended employee - http://www.suspension-nhs.org/nhssuspensionquestionresults.htm - and impressed by the ‘Suggestions for Ways to Change the System’ which resulted from this report.
A Doctor’s Opinion
During my suspension, I spoke to a senior doctor who looked after the well-being of medical staff across two counties. In his experience, suspensions are hugely stressful situations that result in greater coronary strokes and increased risk of suicide amongst other things. However he did not know of any hard data and therefore he stated that he believed that further research was essential.
This person has given a very factual and unemotive account of some of the fallout of suspension that now impacts her daily life and job opportunities. Suspension is a crime against humanity when it is unjust or unnecessary and there need to be ways of preventing it in any organisation, not just the NHS.
Can you help?
Yours hopefully
Julie
Lack of understanding about the deadly impact of suspension is a failing I despair about. How will managers ever understand that to be cut off from one’s essential, life enhancing, rewarding work in the most humiliating, unexpected and shocking manner, is a blow that will cause psychological harm, even injury and in many cases, damage the person for life.
I wish I was exaggerating. The insights that follow are used with permission and anonymised to protect the sufferer. Read on and if you have any power to change this system, PLEASE use it.
Impact of Suspension
I was suspended by my line manager, motivated I believe by personal dislike. I was cleared of the false allegations over a protracted four month investigation and disciplinary process, involving two independent investigators. The process ended in me leaving the company, just like I had been told - almost no-one goes back to work after a suspension because the process destroys the necessary 'mutual trust and confidence' between employer and employee.
Now that I have been dismissed, I am free to work. However I am very unwell as a result of the suspension and the events that took place during my suspension. Suspension is not a routine decision, it is a ‘nuclear option.’
I say this because suspension is a form of exclusion, and human beings react badly to exclusion (probably ever since cavemen died, if they were thrown out of a cave). Employees suddenly must spend huge amounts of time, energy and money fighting the ‘machine’ that kicks in after suspension, replacing a productive day at work with an unfairly balanced dispute that acts negatively upon the employees and their families. It becomes very difficult to fight the case when there is limited access to the necessary information, due to the sanctions placed on a suspended employee.
If an employee is being investigated whilst still at work, they will continue to have good days and bad days like we all do. If the employee is suspended before being investigated, they are effectively stuck in a bad day and they can’t move on from that. It becomes difficult to eat or sleep because the employee is stuck at a particularly troublesome point in time, repeating over and over in their brain whatever happened on those last few days at work.
Employees can quickly become deskilled and lose confidence after suspension. In my case, I had a job that was 70% outward facing, and I simply disappeared one day. I was locked in the battleground that is a suspension, fighting to clear my name, and not able to give any explanation to key stakeholders as to why I had disappeared.
I was moved by the section of the NHS Suspension website which examines the effect on those close to the suspended employee - http://www.suspension-nhs.org/nhssuspensionquestionresults.htm - and impressed by the ‘Suggestions for Ways to Change the System’ which resulted from this report.
A Doctor’s Opinion
During my suspension, I spoke to a senior doctor who looked after the well-being of medical staff across two counties. In his experience, suspensions are hugely stressful situations that result in greater coronary strokes and increased risk of suicide amongst other things. However he did not know of any hard data and therefore he stated that he believed that further research was essential.
This person has given a very factual and unemotive account of some of the fallout of suspension that now impacts her daily life and job opportunities. Suspension is a crime against humanity when it is unjust or unnecessary and there need to be ways of preventing it in any organisation, not just the NHS.
Can you help?
Yours hopefully
Julie
Tuesday, 11 February 2014
Failing managers
I enjoy reading Jenni Middleton’s editorial comments in the Nursing Times. She doesn’t mince her words though I imagine she has to be careful not to be sued and to keep Department of Health still talking to the Nursing Times.
And there is that slow but relentless Nursing Times campaign to allow nurses to Speak Out Safely.
In the meantime, the surveys of staff continue to show that there has been absolutely no change in conditions for many and in some cases, a worsening of the situation.
The NHS is awash with the tears of its staff who end their shifts an emotional wet rag, exhausted and utterly frustrated that they haven’t been able to give the care needed.
But time and time again I am wondering why their managers are not being held to account for these dire situations. Some nurses report that they are just told to ‘get on with it’ when they ask for agency or bank staff to try and fill the gaps.
What sort of response is that?
An elderly relative lives in a well run small care home. When there are not enough staff on a shift, the manager rolls up her sleeves and gets stuck in. I imagine that historically, ward sisters did the same in these situations.
Of course these days, they’d be rolling up their sleeves every day of the week and at night too, on some of these wards.
In developing countries, where health care is scarce, the families are expected to come with their patient and look after them. I can see that being an answer here in the UK! Any family member with complex care needs , often already depends on family members to get the care they need.
When the situation is so dire and the Government are not going to do anything about it, perhaps that is what hospital managers should set in place!
Hospital managers – ahh. I remember when I was suspended and the whole process was taking forever, I had a meeting to attend with the investigating officer at their pleasant headquarters. I had already learnt that when secretaries and administrators were off sick, agency staff were employed to fill the gap. Oh the riches of being in management.
As I was sitting in a comfortable area, waiting to be called to my meeting, the Director of Nursing and other such worthies, walked by, chatting and laughing without a care in the world it seemed, while I sat there as a visible sign of sheer waste, powerlessness and their incompetence! Oh the waste of tax payers money and my life.
While the managers continue to avoid contact with their staff, or listen to them or even know who they are and while their bosses conveniently ignore this fact with complaints piling up and adverse events hidden or not reported then there continues to be no hope for vulnerable patients and caring staff.
Yours very sadly
Julie
And there is that slow but relentless Nursing Times campaign to allow nurses to Speak Out Safely.
In the meantime, the surveys of staff continue to show that there has been absolutely no change in conditions for many and in some cases, a worsening of the situation.
The NHS is awash with the tears of its staff who end their shifts an emotional wet rag, exhausted and utterly frustrated that they haven’t been able to give the care needed.
But time and time again I am wondering why their managers are not being held to account for these dire situations. Some nurses report that they are just told to ‘get on with it’ when they ask for agency or bank staff to try and fill the gaps.
What sort of response is that?
An elderly relative lives in a well run small care home. When there are not enough staff on a shift, the manager rolls up her sleeves and gets stuck in. I imagine that historically, ward sisters did the same in these situations.
Of course these days, they’d be rolling up their sleeves every day of the week and at night too, on some of these wards.
In developing countries, where health care is scarce, the families are expected to come with their patient and look after them. I can see that being an answer here in the UK! Any family member with complex care needs , often already depends on family members to get the care they need.
When the situation is so dire and the Government are not going to do anything about it, perhaps that is what hospital managers should set in place!
Hospital managers – ahh. I remember when I was suspended and the whole process was taking forever, I had a meeting to attend with the investigating officer at their pleasant headquarters. I had already learnt that when secretaries and administrators were off sick, agency staff were employed to fill the gap. Oh the riches of being in management.
As I was sitting in a comfortable area, waiting to be called to my meeting, the Director of Nursing and other such worthies, walked by, chatting and laughing without a care in the world it seemed, while I sat there as a visible sign of sheer waste, powerlessness and their incompetence! Oh the waste of tax payers money and my life.
While the managers continue to avoid contact with their staff, or listen to them or even know who they are and while their bosses conveniently ignore this fact with complaints piling up and adverse events hidden or not reported then there continues to be no hope for vulnerable patients and caring staff.
Yours very sadly
Julie
Tuesday, 15 October 2013
Managers - stop this evil
CAUSE has failed so far to persuade managers in the NHS that suspension is the most devastating action they can take against their staff, causing in some cases, irreparable harm and destroying careers. The managers don’t seem to be able to grasp that suspension is to be taken when the problem is very serious and when all other avenues have been explored.
The blog that has been read the most is about the devastation of suspension. Recently I received a nurse’s reflection on her experience of it. She has given me permission to reproduce it here with some details altered so that she cannot be identified. It was written when she had been recently suspended.
'It has been an absolute roller coaster of emotions, from deep deep sadness to utter despair and it feels like it has been forever.
My life has been turned upside down.
What makes me happy has been taken away from me and I have done nothing wrong. My work which is important to me, defines me - my contact with patients, my rapport with them, my reputation – they’ve all disappeared and I don’t think I will ever get that back.
My family see me in such despair, crying, wandering around the house, unable to do basic jobs. I have always encouraged our children to tell the truth and respect others. How can they respect me now?? This is the hardest thing for me to bear.
I try and put a brave face on but I think they can see through that. I really try and do something every day, but I go to bed tired and wake up tired. There seems to be no respite from these feelings.
I can’t eat and I can’t sleep properly. My dreams are nightmares of not being able to get another job. How am I going to pay the mortgage and bills?
This suspension is supposed to be a neutral act; how can it be when I feel as though I am being punished for something but I have no idea why or what?
What’s happening? Will I get to see the complaints that are supposed to have been made? How can I challenge them if I don’t know what they are or when they were supposed to have been made? What happens now? Will it go to a disciplinary hearing? Will I be sacked? Will I be struck off?
I feel physically sick when I think about my future...... I don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel!
I feel so isolated and alone, if it wasn’t for my family I don’t know where I would be. They have been fantastic.
I feel that my career is over, not because it was my choice, but it’s been forced upon me.
I find it so difficult to leave the house for anything. I feel safe here and panic when I know I have to go out. Still need to go to the shops, pay bills, see my doctor. My confidence is rock bottom.
I worry what people must think about me - the old saying "no smoke without fire" comes to mind. I suppose the people who do know me will say this is all rubbish, which it is.
If I go back to work how will I be able to face all these people? How can anyone possibly think I will be able to go back to work in that place. That’s why I believe I will be sacked. I have never been sacked in my life!!!!
My thoughts seem to be on a constant loop, can’t stop thinking then trying to dissect what it all means. I function during the day on auto pilot and can’t see an end to this.
Am I stressed.... yes
Am I depressed .... yes
Am I sad .... yes
It’s as though I am going through a grieving process..
I have worked hard and lived my life to my best ability. If I am sacked I see no other option than having to sell up and leave. That would break my heart but I don’t see any other way. Not only might I lose my right to work in my chosen profession I may have to leave my home.'
So managers out there who won’t be reading this person’s distress but who ought to, plus human resources staff, plus union fulltime officers who sometimes collude with the managers and certainly often fail to show any understanding of the distress and despair suspension causes – WAKE UP ALL OF YOU.
This is supposed to be the National Health Service, not the National Destruction Service.
And readers of this blog who understand this person’s heartrending despair, if you have any way of letting the media know about this, please let me know via www.suspension-nhs.org or feel free to pass it on.
One day, please Lord, these terrible injustices and this terrible suffering will be no more.
Julie
The blog that has been read the most is about the devastation of suspension. Recently I received a nurse’s reflection on her experience of it. She has given me permission to reproduce it here with some details altered so that she cannot be identified. It was written when she had been recently suspended.
'It has been an absolute roller coaster of emotions, from deep deep sadness to utter despair and it feels like it has been forever.
My life has been turned upside down.
What makes me happy has been taken away from me and I have done nothing wrong. My work which is important to me, defines me - my contact with patients, my rapport with them, my reputation – they’ve all disappeared and I don’t think I will ever get that back.
My family see me in such despair, crying, wandering around the house, unable to do basic jobs. I have always encouraged our children to tell the truth and respect others. How can they respect me now?? This is the hardest thing for me to bear.
I try and put a brave face on but I think they can see through that. I really try and do something every day, but I go to bed tired and wake up tired. There seems to be no respite from these feelings.
I can’t eat and I can’t sleep properly. My dreams are nightmares of not being able to get another job. How am I going to pay the mortgage and bills?
This suspension is supposed to be a neutral act; how can it be when I feel as though I am being punished for something but I have no idea why or what?
What’s happening? Will I get to see the complaints that are supposed to have been made? How can I challenge them if I don’t know what they are or when they were supposed to have been made? What happens now? Will it go to a disciplinary hearing? Will I be sacked? Will I be struck off?
I feel physically sick when I think about my future...... I don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel!
I feel so isolated and alone, if it wasn’t for my family I don’t know where I would be. They have been fantastic.
I feel that my career is over, not because it was my choice, but it’s been forced upon me.
I find it so difficult to leave the house for anything. I feel safe here and panic when I know I have to go out. Still need to go to the shops, pay bills, see my doctor. My confidence is rock bottom.
I worry what people must think about me - the old saying "no smoke without fire" comes to mind. I suppose the people who do know me will say this is all rubbish, which it is.
If I go back to work how will I be able to face all these people? How can anyone possibly think I will be able to go back to work in that place. That’s why I believe I will be sacked. I have never been sacked in my life!!!!
My thoughts seem to be on a constant loop, can’t stop thinking then trying to dissect what it all means. I function during the day on auto pilot and can’t see an end to this.
Am I stressed.... yes
Am I depressed .... yes
Am I sad .... yes
It’s as though I am going through a grieving process..
I have worked hard and lived my life to my best ability. If I am sacked I see no other option than having to sell up and leave. That would break my heart but I don’t see any other way. Not only might I lose my right to work in my chosen profession I may have to leave my home.'
So managers out there who won’t be reading this person’s distress but who ought to, plus human resources staff, plus union fulltime officers who sometimes collude with the managers and certainly often fail to show any understanding of the distress and despair suspension causes – WAKE UP ALL OF YOU.
This is supposed to be the National Health Service, not the National Destruction Service.
And readers of this blog who understand this person’s heartrending despair, if you have any way of letting the media know about this, please let me know via www.suspension-nhs.org or feel free to pass it on.
One day, please Lord, these terrible injustices and this terrible suffering will be no more.
Julie
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
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
Thursday, 6 June 2013
Drug errors need systems failure analysis not punishment
People regularly get in touch with www.suspension-nhs.org who are in a state of shock having made a drug error and been suspended. A knee jerk reaction by their manager? Don’t they have any confidence in their staff? Do they even know them?
I’m not writing here about someone who has made several errors and now needs an assessment to find out if they are safe to practice. How did they qualify in the first place if they are unsafe? Why weren’t they found out before now? Systems failure and the whole problem of ‘failing’ students on their placements – having the support to do it and then to help the failing student, rather than abandoning them, seems to be the main issue here.
If they haven’t made repeated errors, the next question should be - is something going very wrong for them in their personal lives, making concentration at work very difficult?
Back to the usually safe practitioner – and their incompetent manager. The manager now has to justify their draconian action so a witch hunt begins. There’s no chance of them following the guidelines for investigations to be transparent and fair, to find out what has actually happened.
The increasingly pressured climate of staff shortages and higher numbers of frail patients with multiple health problems means staff are at greater risk of making errors.
What difference would a duty of candour make? It is planned for organisations post Mid Staffs, but what of staff on the ground? Would it help to stop suspensions for mistakes and see managers deal correctly with errors?
Kate Wynn, our Scottish spokesperson at www.suspension-nhs.org feels passionate about this subject and has given me permission to quote her thought provoking observations.
"Drug errors, as with errors in everything else, happen all the time. If they are truly ERRORS then no-one should ever be suspended for one - even if it kills the patient, which on occasion it might do (hopefully very rarely). We are human beings therefore we will always make mistakes. We need nurses to be human beings - robots cannot nurse.
I believe all nurses who practise for any length of time make drug errors at one time or another and usually, or perhaps always, if they practise long enough they will make more than one. I've made more than one (that I know of that is - I may have made one or more that I don't know about) and I believe I'm no worse in that respect than any other nurse.
When I made my first drug error I was in bits and wracked with guilt. I had a manager at the time who understood that it was actually a normal event and she helped me to come to terms with what I'd done by her empathic understanding. Her attitude, quite rightly, was that my own conscience would punish me more than was justified therefore all I needed from her was compassion. When I made my second drug error I did initially think that I was a terrible person and that no-one else had ever done such a thing. It took me a considerable amount of time to realise that I was not failing in some way, I was only honest for reporting it.
I did not know all of this until I had nursed for more than 20 years. Then I was the Senior Nurse of a small hospital at a time when there was a lot of talk about 'learning from the airline industry' and 'getting rid of the blame culture'. Over a period of years and with a lot of hard work, I eventually fostered a working environment where nurses were not afraid to come forward if they realised they had made a drug error. I'm confident that eventually all the drug errors that the nurses knew they had made were then reported. Reporting then happened promptly so that a doctor could be consulted and any necessary action taken. The patients were informed of the errors, as were their relatives etc. No-one was disciplined for a genuine error. No patients or families complained about a drug error - they thanked us for our openness. We tried to identify where the system was wrong and to right such wrongs but errors did continue to happen, because we were all human and we were required to undertake a potentially dangerous activity.
Were there any other outcomes? Yes, eventually there was one - talk of a 'no-blame culture' disappeared and I was criticised personally because I had the highest number of drug errors in the wider Health Board area within my unit!! (Of course I'm sure I didn't - the unit I managed just had the highest number of REPORTED errors.) What's for certain is that nurses in that hospital (where I no longer work) will no more be so quick to report it if they know they have made a mistake, and that means that a patient is more likely to die or to be seriously harmed."
Great words of wisdom there from Kate and the evidence, though anecdotal, that being allowed to report without repercussions is actually much safer than a culture of punishment and blame.
Will anything change? Sadly it seems not and we are destined to continue to open emails from honest and hardworking, over stretched staff, in shock because of the action taken against them. Please competent managers, sort out your incompetent colleagues to get this terrible injustice stopped. But be warned, if this is the general culture of your organisation, then you may find yourself in trouble too.
Despairingly
Julie
People regularly get in touch with www.suspension-nhs.org who are in a state of shock having made a drug error and been suspended. A knee jerk reaction by their manager? Don’t they have any confidence in their staff? Do they even know them?
I’m not writing here about someone who has made several errors and now needs an assessment to find out if they are safe to practice. How did they qualify in the first place if they are unsafe? Why weren’t they found out before now? Systems failure and the whole problem of ‘failing’ students on their placements – having the support to do it and then to help the failing student, rather than abandoning them, seems to be the main issue here.
If they haven’t made repeated errors, the next question should be - is something going very wrong for them in their personal lives, making concentration at work very difficult?
Back to the usually safe practitioner – and their incompetent manager. The manager now has to justify their draconian action so a witch hunt begins. There’s no chance of them following the guidelines for investigations to be transparent and fair, to find out what has actually happened.
The increasingly pressured climate of staff shortages and higher numbers of frail patients with multiple health problems means staff are at greater risk of making errors.
What difference would a duty of candour make? It is planned for organisations post Mid Staffs, but what of staff on the ground? Would it help to stop suspensions for mistakes and see managers deal correctly with errors?
Kate Wynn, our Scottish spokesperson at www.suspension-nhs.org feels passionate about this subject and has given me permission to quote her thought provoking observations.
"Drug errors, as with errors in everything else, happen all the time. If they are truly ERRORS then no-one should ever be suspended for one - even if it kills the patient, which on occasion it might do (hopefully very rarely). We are human beings therefore we will always make mistakes. We need nurses to be human beings - robots cannot nurse.
I believe all nurses who practise for any length of time make drug errors at one time or another and usually, or perhaps always, if they practise long enough they will make more than one. I've made more than one (that I know of that is - I may have made one or more that I don't know about) and I believe I'm no worse in that respect than any other nurse.
When I made my first drug error I was in bits and wracked with guilt. I had a manager at the time who understood that it was actually a normal event and she helped me to come to terms with what I'd done by her empathic understanding. Her attitude, quite rightly, was that my own conscience would punish me more than was justified therefore all I needed from her was compassion. When I made my second drug error I did initially think that I was a terrible person and that no-one else had ever done such a thing. It took me a considerable amount of time to realise that I was not failing in some way, I was only honest for reporting it.
I did not know all of this until I had nursed for more than 20 years. Then I was the Senior Nurse of a small hospital at a time when there was a lot of talk about 'learning from the airline industry' and 'getting rid of the blame culture'. Over a period of years and with a lot of hard work, I eventually fostered a working environment where nurses were not afraid to come forward if they realised they had made a drug error. I'm confident that eventually all the drug errors that the nurses knew they had made were then reported. Reporting then happened promptly so that a doctor could be consulted and any necessary action taken. The patients were informed of the errors, as were their relatives etc. No-one was disciplined for a genuine error. No patients or families complained about a drug error - they thanked us for our openness. We tried to identify where the system was wrong and to right such wrongs but errors did continue to happen, because we were all human and we were required to undertake a potentially dangerous activity.
Were there any other outcomes? Yes, eventually there was one - talk of a 'no-blame culture' disappeared and I was criticised personally because I had the highest number of drug errors in the wider Health Board area within my unit!! (Of course I'm sure I didn't - the unit I managed just had the highest number of REPORTED errors.) What's for certain is that nurses in that hospital (where I no longer work) will no more be so quick to report it if they know they have made a mistake, and that means that a patient is more likely to die or to be seriously harmed."
Great words of wisdom there from Kate and the evidence, though anecdotal, that being allowed to report without repercussions is actually much safer than a culture of punishment and blame.
Will anything change? Sadly it seems not and we are destined to continue to open emails from honest and hardworking, over stretched staff, in shock because of the action taken against them. Please competent managers, sort out your incompetent colleagues to get this terrible injustice stopped. But be warned, if this is the general culture of your organisation, then you may find yourself in trouble too.
Despairingly
Julie
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)