Vocal Voices

Guilty of seven murders and six attempted murders. There are other investigations at another hospital and a training school.

It is early days, but there appears to be a catalogue of failings by management and medical practitioners. The government has ordered an inquiry.

I cannot get my head round anybody doing such foul things. One unexplained death should be enough to kick off a thorough investigation into practices and personnel. Three in one month should be cause to shut the facility down

I couldn’t agree more, the whole tale is just horrifying, on many levels

but the fact that consultants at her previous hospital whistle blew about her, she was cleared and they had to write her a letter of apology is just unbelievable.

i think if I were a parent the fact it could and should have been prevented would make it a thousand time worse, if that were possible

Workingman wrote:It is early days, but there appears to be a catalogue of failings by management and medical practitioners. The government has ordered an inquiry.

I have no faith in any government inquiry.
But I am 100% sure that we haven't heard the last of this. The parents must be so angry.

miasmum wrote:but the fact that consultants at her previous hospital whistle blew about her, she was cleared and they had to write her a letter of apology is just unbelievable.

MM, I worked in the public sector for many years and my view on public sector management is this.

They don't want to know about problems.
If a member of staff goes to management to point out a problem, that member of staff becomes the problem. And this sounds exactly like what has happened in your example above.

If management are forced to admit there is a problem, there is an implicit duty on them to take action on that problem; which they never want to do.

But if they can pretend that there is no problem, why then it's happy days - they don't have to do anything.

A good manager in the public sector is a rare thing.

I come from a background where if something mission critical inexplicably fails it is taken offline, be it an aircraft or some tech. Suff is probably the same. The failure is investigated and only cleared kit is put back in use.

Two failures would would reallly make for urgent action. Three on the trot and it's a shutdown until all avenues have been investigated and cleared.

These murders are essentially no different. The process should be the same in checking shift rotas, staffing levels, drugs administered, who by and who authorised them, and so on.

I agree with Cromwell. Letby is not the only guilty party in this and the inquiry is no more than a paperwork exercise - lessons will be learnt is what we will hear.

cromwell wrote:

miasmum wrote:but the fact that consultants at her previous hospital whistle blew about her, she was cleared and they had to write her a letter of apology is just unbelievable.

MM, I worked in the public sector for many years and my view on public sector management is this.

They don't want to know about problems.
If a member of staff goes to management to point out a problem, that member of staff becomes the problem. And this sounds exactly like what has happened in your example above.

If management are forced to admit there is a problem, there is an implicit duty on them to take action on that problem; which they never want to do.

But if they can pretend that there is no problem, why then it's happy days - they don't have to do anything.

A good manager in the public sector is a rare thing.

Agreeing with you both.

It wasn’t a previous hospital it was the same one. That makes it worse

The fact that consultants had voiced concerns about her and were ignored and forced to apologise to her beggars belief. I wonder if in a few months' time these managers will be moved on to another Trust with a golden handshake. I wouldn't be surprised.

I have no faith in an inquiry
It will all be covered up with a few golden handshakes and relocation