Category Archives: Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust

Dirty dealings and the Sloven gravy train

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I wrote this filthy lucre post two months ago. About the Slade House site and rumours that Sloven are selling it and heading back down south with millions in their grubby (and negligent) paws. With the naivety (and relentless optimism) that has characterised #JusticeforLB though, we sort of believed Mike Petter’s (written) assurance to My Life My Choice:

“If it is sold by Southern Health, the money will go back into Learning Disability Services in Oxfordshire. If somebody else sells it, they might have a different idea.”

At the time it seemed odd to say ‘if somebody else…’ Mmm.

Naivety and optimism has taken a kicking tonight with the following unravellings and realisations:

  1. DocHawking tonight mentioned sale of the land by a private company; a sneaky bit of asset transfer which absolves Sloven [only in the eyes of devilish monsters] of ‘selling it’ themselves.
  2. Petter has gone.
  3. The Sloven board meeting tomorrow has a secret agenda item Declaration of Surplus Land/Property.

These, in turn, leave us wondering (again):

  • Why did Sloven want to acquire the known to be failing services run by the Ridgeway Partnership in 2012?
  • Why did they do zip all about improving these services or even being visible in Oxfordshire after the contract exchanged hands?
  • How much of a draw was the chunky Slade House site/land next to a recent development for Oxford Brookes student accommodation, within the Oxford ring road?

slade

Oxfordshire has had to endure failing learning disability services for over three years now. It cannot be possible that the resources the county have can be pillaged by a bunch of chancers. (Aided by the stupidity of Oxfordshire County Council and the Clinical Commissioning Group). Nah. No fucking way.

 

A very British killing…

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Just started reading A very British Killing by Andrew Williams. About Baha Mousa, a hotel receptionist, killed by British troops during the Iraq War. A deeply horrific read for so many reasons. In the preface, Williams writes:

wilsonThe underlined sections could have been written about our experiences/the experiences of other families. Substituting civilian and military commanders with NHS Foundation Trusts, NHS England, NHS Improvement and the Department of Health. Light on apologetic, heavy on disdain. With the Mazars review demonstrating a more systemic and possibly less chaotic approach to the initial violence/harm people experience (not read the book yet so just guessing… sigh).

For three years now, the failing actions of the Sloven exec have been made visible. And they still don’t have to get it. Cosseted in a ‘safe space’ woven with overlapping strands of the Health and Social Care Act (2012), the erosion of accountability and the administrative grotesque, the bureaucratic apathy and institutional failure Wilson discusses, and more.

An example of the impermeability of this space. The Sloven circulation of the briefing about this blog, a day after LB’s death [howl] and the sharing of this unspeakably vile document on these pages, wider social media and during LB’s inquest and wider social media. This exposure, this uncovering and publication of truly toxic action by an NHS Trust would surely lead to censure, to serious reflection and action at board level (and higher) about the priorities/actions of the Trust..?

Nah. Not a dicky bird. Instead, almost three years later – three years littered with failed CQC reports, deaths, critical inquest determinations and no real action – the board papers for the meeting next week state:

risks‘The Non-Executive Directors challenged whether the ability to respond to external reports and reputational issues should be the the Trust’s highest risk.’

Reputational risk remains top of the (inspirational) leadership board.

Having felt particularly ground down over the last few weeks/months. I’ll dredge up some optimism droplets and end with three reflections;

At least some of the slumbering non executive directors are (at last) waking up…

board

There will always be memories of the rebel governors and day trip to the Lyndhurst Community (involving a ‘well travelled jar of pickled onions’ with the My Life My Choice crew.)  

And Andrew Williams – who made these links between Baha Mousa, LB and others – is currently making his way through the bundles from LB’s inquest.

1000 days

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As we get to towards the end of the third year since LB died my rage is reaching levels I had no idea existed. Probably in direct proportion to the mountain of shite that continues to unfold at Sloven towers. Despite enough evidence to sink the Harmony there is still no action.

Sloven, and everyone else who should have acted and hasn’t, has now stolen a further thousand days of our lives. 1000 days… during which we’ve been unable remember LB properly.

I hate the word grieve. I don’t want to ‘grieve LB’. And I’ve a serious dislike of ‘models of grief’.  I want to think about LB. I want the space to remember, in intricate detail, everything about him. His love, laughter, being, touch and smell. His sense of humour. His astonishing, duck like hair. His happiness, thoughts and reflections. His dislike of Simon Mayo and love of all things human rights. But I can’t.

I’m enraged that, like so many others, the remaining pieces of our hearts, those pieces that somehow hang in there despite the harrowing and incomprehensible death of our dude, are battered beyond recognition by state actions and non actions.

Inexcusable. And barbaric.

1000 days… And no end in sight.

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Rebel engagement

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People, patients, self advocates, families, picnics. A crowd sourced room (after Tim Smart pulled the plug on the extraordinary board meeting with a threat of legal action).

An opportunity for the Council of Governors to meet the public and listen. They all had the date in their diaries after all…

Peter Bell, Arthur Monk, John Green and Richard Mandunya we salute you.

 

Photos, postcards and a meeting postponed

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We found some old photos yesterday. And a postcard LB sent to Stan in 2008. Tears, chuckles and family banter. The postcard is addressed to Stanley McRogers, LB’s name for Chunky Stan. And pretty vague address details. How the hell did it get here?

image (29)

We decided it probably arrived because of the wonderful, intuitive work of a postman we had for several years. A postman who collected Marilyn Monroe memorabilia.

Tonight we found out the extraordinary governors meeting organised for 17.5.16 with a controversial agenda has been postponed. The official statement from Tim Smart, the recently board chair appointed by NHS Improvement, states:

smart shiteYou’d think a trouble shooting NHS Improvement appointed (interim) chair has sufficient understanding of the legal ramifications of proposed actions, or easy access to advice from NHS Improvement, to make authoritative decisions… But no. The flakiness of not only Sloven but the broader bodies around them once again laid bare. And yet more delay.

An hour ago I tweeted:

typos

It’s nearly 1am.

Sloven leading, as always, with actions that make fuck all difference to patient care…. They can’t sign off an epilepsy bathing protocol until nearly three years after LB died but they can change a typo on a news release after a tweet, late on a Saturday night.

Where is the human?

‘Painted a different colour’ and the picnic spot

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Another day, another shower of Sloven related shite. The (one hour) Sloven extraordinary governor’s meeting next Tuesday has been ‘transformed’ [painted a different colour] into a set of observations by pretty much everyone other than the caretaker and cleaners who I suspect would have more sensible and insightful reflections than the newly appointed interim board chair, improvement director, nursing director, CEO and two other random peeps listed on the agenda. The emergency motion that generated the meeting has been pushed to a secret session after public questions. Within the one hour meeting.

Yep. Really.

[Essential context here from George Julian, Mark Aspinall and Peter Bell].

Beyond unacceptable. And so disappointing from Tim and the Turnaround Team. Big sis, Agent T, texted this morning in frustration to say ‘I don’t know why they surprise us every time. I think there must be a hint of not being pushed (or seen to be pushed) by some pesky families…’ This echoes Tom saying

The ridiculous thing about all of this is that when I look at what families demand from Southern Health and the way that they just don’t change I sometimes worry that maybe we are asking a lot or being unreasonable. But then I list the demands of the families and they shouldn’t even be demands, they are such basic requests that if asked on behalf of any other group in society would’ve been dealt with straight away with no barriers. So why does it take so long when it’s for those with learning difficulties?

Agent T and Tom are both right. We ain’t being unreasonable or pesky. We’re calling a failing trust out. Repeatedly. With enough evidence to sink a Sloven flotilla. Sloven, meanwhile, have shown no signs of recognising/acknowledging failings. Tom captures this brilliantly in his post.

Hey ho.

We’ll be heading to the Lyndhurst Community Centre on Tuesday for the unfolding of the fake governors meeting. Meeting My Life My Choice champs at Oxford station, picking up Agent T and Ally Rogers en route and hooking up with George Julian and others somewhere in the New Forest.

  • None of us should have to do this.
  • Thoughtful action by enlightened governors shouldn’t be closed down as it has been

I just hope there’s a good spot for a picnic after and a bit of sunshine. Sounds like we’ll be booted out sharpish.

In related news, My Life My Choice received a second mysterious letter recently. Written to then board chair, Simon Waugh, in May 2014. Copied into Monitor and NHS England. Wonder if they will be there on Tuesday?  I’m sure we’ll have enough egg sarnies and a flask of tea or two to share…

SW 1 SW2

 

The message

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My blood chilled, 20 seconds or so into the message left on my phone at work, when the caller seamlessly tipped from being sorry that LB died to calling me a vindictive cow. And didn’t hold back from sticking the boot in.

Another day. Another Sloven related failure.

The kids, love em, and their cousins/mates, were instantly outraged, enraged and upset. Their united, supportive and vocal position, that this is so fucking wrong, continues to be one of the lights shining through this complete fuck up. Combined with widespread condemnation by so many others.

The call is vitriolic, nasty and beyond inappropriate. But it’s simply part of a set of improbably, inappropriate, nasty and worse responses we’ve endured since LB died. Evidence of a system in which defensiveness, bullying and family crushing flourishes.

Just a few examples:

The letter from Katrina Percy.

The Dr Crapshite stuff and mother blame.

The Oxfordshire County Council commissioner’s  letter to disability activists

The Sloven briefing to David Nicholson…

This afternoon, Luciana Berger tabled an Urgent Question in parliament about Sloven. There was anger, much sense and serious concern demonstrated by those present. (Not Burt). John Bercow concluded the debate stating that Sloven need to see the Hansard documentation of the debate. Good.

But not good enough.

We’re beyond weary. Bouncing between extreme love for the likes of Luciana Berger, Norman Lamb, Paul Lelliott and others at the CQC, Andrew Smith, Deb Coles (and the unfailing support and contributions of #JusticeforLB campaigners).   And the pin drop pots of non action wedged within the Department of Health, NHS Improvement and NHS England.

Listening to this message was unspeakable. Reading the documents listed above was unspeakable. I don’t know how much more unspeakable we are expected to endure. We were, hilariously, stupidly, copied into an exchange about the governors response to us in which a Sloven comms person advises the governors to ‘soften the tone a bit’. Just astonishing.

Why don’t you all re-read Mark Aspinall’s emergency motion and recognise your craphole, seedy actions for what they are. We ain’t the problem here. As much as it makes you feel better to think so.

In the spirit of the openness of the campaign, I’ll just say you are all a fuckingpileoftosswankpisspotfuckscummerybastards.

 

 

 

 

Dark places and being peggable

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The leaking of the Sloven governor’s emergency motion was a bright spot. Whatever bickering and political wrangling it has generated, Mark Aspinall called it as it was, and is. Simple as. It’s now up to the remaining council members to demonstrate their integrity and act accordingly. With appropriate scrutiny from the regulatory and public gaze.

This latest twist has generated a lot of ‘thank fuck for that’ type comments from family, friends, colleagues and supporters. People have been coming up to us in the street, on the bus, in lifts, saying they can’t understand how the Sloven board are untouched (well other than Mike Petter’s (possibly stage managed) exit). Nope. Neither can we.

We get emails from people about how the campaign has given them the energy, confidence, fight to try to get some accountability and justice for the death of their child, sister, brother, partner, parent, friend. This is sort of good. Only ‘sort of’ because the system shouldn’t be so consistently shite. We shouldn’t have to draw confidence from other people’s experiences. The right thing should be done. With the lightest of family involvement. But we all know this is bollocks when it comes to preventable deaths in the public sector. Particularly those involving certain people.

There has also been a lot of ‘inspirational mum’ stuff…

One of the things that came through clearly from the STATT records was that LB fully expected me to come and bring him home. [Howl]. Of course he did. I was his mum. I fought his corner with every bone in my body from the moment he was pegged as peggable. From the moment he started at an ‘integrated’ nursery in which the induction session involved only certain parents and pointing out separate pegs for the special needs kids who ‘get transport’…

Endless battles. Transport, after school club, respite, getting a diagnosis of epilepsy, transition, direct payments, disabled parking bays….

And then, stupidly, thinking he was temporarily in a safe space, if nothing else…

When I got the STATT records, back in the day, I cried in a new way. A different way to when LB died. Which was also indescribable crying.

Over two years later, we sat through the inquest evidence. Further unfolding of the (inevitable) preventable death of LB. With a topping of toxic mum blame. And still no accountability.

The simplicity and truth and certainty LB felt, recorded in the records. Even in that space. A space in which he was brutalised and had pretty much everything he recognised stripped from him. A space in which he was told to attend stupid fucking tea and cake groups because he’d be allowed home earlier. A space in which he was given bonjela to put on his tongue by a careless and arrogant psychiatrist who denied he was having seizure activity.

A space in which a combination of Sloven incompetence, arrogance and obsessive focus on corporate identity and reputation (rather than basic patient care) together with disinterest from local commissioners, a wider inertia and disregard within health and social care, led to a vacuum in which he (like so many others) died.

A space now documented and evidenced at length. With no accountability. I’m not ‘inspirational’. I’m just doing what I always did for him, until I took my eye off the ball and handed the baton over to a (known to be failing) organisation. And I will continue to do it until there is justice. And accountability. Along with the other #JusticeforLB campaigners.

Sense and reason, at last

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After nearly three years of atrocious responses from Sloven to what happened to LB, this document arrived anonymously in the Justice shed earlier. An emergency motion presented at the governors meeting on April 26th. Apparently, from what we can glean from Michael Buchanan’s tweets and other sources, some of the governors were taken aback by the never before seen candour and transparency they were confronted with, without warning.

Petter, then chair, decided that the motion would be held back to an extraordinary meeting to be held within 7-10 days of the CQC report being published. I suppose to allow certain people the space to recover their shock and horror that, for once, their cosy slumbering and collusion with the board was being challenged.

I can’t describe what it feels like to read these words. Such a careful, reflexive, comprehensive and sensible engagement with the catalogue of failings since Mike Holder’s report in 2012.

I’m not sure I’d add anything other than, good on you, Mark Aspinall and the other governors who expressed support for it. What a refreshing contrast to the simply offensive letter we were sent on Thursday. And here’s looking forward to the extraordinary meeting in the next week or so.

-REBbBU_

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The confidential confidentiality agreement

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Back in October 2013, Fran was going to be the family advocate on the Sloven investigation into LB’s death. This descended into farce almost immediately as Fran was banned from being involved because of some trumped up nonsense around Oxfordshire Family Support Network. And then unbanned. Once back, Fran’s involvement only spread to one meeting before Verita were commissioned to do an external investigation.

At the meeting with two Sloven employees (one of whom wrote the leaked quality and safety review nearly a year before LB died; the report which Verita, NHS England and NHS Improvement are now arguing was disclosed (my arse)), Fran was given a lifelong confidentiality agreement to sign. She took a hard copy away to get it looked over, slightly bemused as it had bits crossed out and handwritten amendments.

She was surprised to receive several missed calls from the clinical director the next day (on her home phone and mobile) desperate to get hold of her and two messages. This is the first message (early evening). It was followed by a second message first thing the next morning asking her to get in touch. And more missed calls across the morning.

The life long confidentiality agreement itself was now confidential and not to be shared with anyone (not even a legal representative). Complete and utter Sloven nonsense. Typical bullying and bombastic approach. Terrible, terrible interaction with a family friend/member of the public. No whiff of care, concern or sensitivity around the fact that a young man drowned in their care. Just a dehumanising ‘mum and her solicitor’ and agitation.

What a sign of what lay ahead.

ps. Fran’s son, James, still uses Sloven services. Her willingness to publicly share this message and story is a testament to her not being cowed by bullying services who too often hold families over a barrel of fear. She said to me an age ago that she had been a whistleblower as a nurse in her early twenties. ‘Before ‘whistleblowers’ existed.’ She just called out poor practice. I think she’s right. This is the only way change will happen.