The independent Mazars death review, just by way of a speedy update, was commissioned by NHS England to examine all deaths in Sloven’s learning disability/mental health provision from 2011-2015. The review is in apparently indefinite quarantine by NHS England under challenge by pretty much everyone and their dog.

[Well apart from Chunky Stan. Who, asleep on my feet is pouring his energies into extreme comfort using an almost winning combo of warm fur, being Chunky Stan and a snooze mechanism involving occasional deep/contented sighing…]

It turns out that Sloven made nearly 300 challenges/criticisms to the original draft of the Mazars (independent) review. Wow. 300 challenges? Unprecedented focus/scrutiny by the Sloves who, a week or so after LB’s death, publicly announced he died of natural causes and circulated a briefing about the risk my blog posed to their reputation…

Sloven Board minutes. 23.7.13

[Someone recently said that Sloven made a big error in their early responses to LB’s death. Sort of suggesting the pesky mess our meddling campaign has uncovered could have been left untouched if Sloven had behaved better. I’m not sure how to begin to make sense of this so I’ll stick to what we know for now.]

Publication of the Mazars death review was delayed on the basis of Sloven’s challenge and an academic review into the independent review methodology was commissioned by NHS England. [I know]. NHS England also got an internal dataset expert to review the, er, data. [I know]. Neither reviews of the review have turned up anything changing the findings/recommendations of the original report beyond the odd tweaking.

We found out this morning that Sloven have commissioned their own review into the review. Hahahahahahaha. No. Stoppit. You what?…. Taking marking your own homework in the brave new NHS (fake) world of transparency and candour to unprecedented lows. Really??

This postcard on our fridge repeatedly catches my eye as I reach for wine milk. We’re in a space of absurdities. A space unrecognised by Sloven, Oxfordshire County Council, NHS England, the Care Quality Commission, Monitor or the Department of Health. Evidenced by silence and in(non)action. A tumbleweed collective.

Erving Goffman talked about how much work is involved in awakening people to their true interests because their sleep is very deep.

Two and a half years since LB’s death and we clearly ain’t disturbing the slumber of anyone with any power to do anything. We can continue to try to ground the absurd though. Ground it in the human.

Here’s LB. Keeping watch on a Scottish holiday. No hint there may be trouble ahead. And why would/should he?