A whistleblower who helped expose the infections scandal at Scotland’s £1billion superhospital has warned that patients are still dying due to the ‘appalling’ policies in place for those who try to raise the alarm.
Consultant microbiologist Dr -Christine Peters was bullied and ridiculed by bosses when she tried to highlight problems at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) campus following its opening in 2015.
After seven years denying there was a connection between rare infections in cancer patients and the faulty water system at the hospital, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde last month reversed its position, admitting there was -‘probably’ a ‘causal’ link.
The health board also apologised to Dr Peters and two of her whistleblowing colleagues for their treatment.
In an open letter sent to Health Secretary Neil Gray and the Scottish Public Service Ombudsman (SPSO), Paul McFadden yesterday, Dr Peters said NHS staff still face a ‘dire situation’ when they try to raise concerns – and patients are dying as a result.
She said: ‘As [someone] who identified those problems and raised the alarm over ten years, I’m writing to alert you to the dire situation NHS staff continue to face in whistleblowing.
‘There is a pressing need for firm actions to address the intractable failures in culture around raising patient safety concerns. The cost of a defunct concern-raising process is that preventable death and suffering continue unabated.
‘Getting it right would mean saved lives, reduced suffering, security for staff and prevention of money being squandered. This cannot wait.’
Dr Peters said the internal NHS systems for raising concerns were ‘not consistently safe’ for staff and added that colleagues have confided in her about their own treatment when trying to alert management about safety issues.
She said: ‘Colleagues have reached out to me to share their, at times horrific, recent experiences of trying to raise real and serious patient safety concerns.
‘This covers areas such as maternity care, emergency care, and radiology, as well as my own concerns about infection prevention and control. The NHS’s so-called “whistleblowing policies” look good… but they are implemented appallingly. I urge you not to be complacent just because you have these policies in place. You need to speak directly to people who have experienced internal NHS maltreatment… and listen to them.’
Dr Peters sent the letter ahead of a meeting between Mr Gray and the SPSO, due to take place this week. The ombudsman also controls the Independent National Whistleblowing Office (INWO), which is supposed to provide a safe environment for those raising concerns.
She said the system is ‘not fit for purpose’ and revealed that investigations into concerns she raised in 2021 were ‘dropped’ due to the ongoing Scottish Hospitals Inquiry, even though some of the issues didn’t relate to the QEUH.
Dr Peters said: ‘I raised issues of acute patient safety, including those unrelated to the new build at the QEUH, with the INWO in November 2021.
‘These involved high-risk patients and included photographic and written evidence of infection risks from the built environment that had not been dealt with internally in a satisfactory manner. Three years of investigation later, I was told that those investigations were now dropped due to the public inquiry.
‘This was despite the fact that these were urgent issues needing immediate intervention, and my worst fears about these situations were later realised.’
The 51-year-old also said there was a ‘false dichotomy’ between personal grievance issues and patient safety issues, which leaned into health bosses’ ‘habit’ of portraying someone raising concerns about patient safety as having a ‘behaviour problem’.
Dr Peters concluded: ‘I have been called “brave” for raising issues, but this should not be the case. I do not believe that fear and dread should be sitting with those simply doing their duty.
‘We need to reverse the balance of power and uproot procedural injustices so that patients can get the best possible outcomes and our staff are allowed to do the right thing without being harmed, sometimes irreparably.’
Mr Gray said: ‘When any concern is raised, I expect boards to treat it with the utmost seriousness and ensure it is thoroughly investigated, ensuring no individual suffers any repercussions.
‘I am happy to consider any -further ideas to improve support for whistleblowers.’ The Health Secretary said he will respond to Dr Peters’ letter in due course.
Mr Gray said: ‘All health service workers should have the confidence to raise concerns and I have been absolutely clear with Boards on the need to protect and support whistleblowers.
‘When any concern is raised, I expect boards to treat it with the utmost seriousness and ensure it is thoroughly, fairly and appropriately investigated, ensuring no individual suffers any repercussions.
‘There are dedicated Whistleblowing Champions in each health board to seek assurance that staff are encouraged and supported to speak up.
‘I am of course always happy to consider any further ideas to improve support for whistleblowers and I will be reiterating these points when I meet with the Independent National Whistleblowing Officer this week.’
The Health Secretary will respond to Dr Peters’s letter in due course.
Original source: gb