Barts Health NHS Trust and the Haven centre in Whitechapel.

Here’s another ‘apology’ from Barts Health NHS Trust.

I have to declare an interest here, it’s why I’ve been concentrating on Barts all year and why I publicised the failings there so early – before NHS England started to investigate. I exposed the outrageous number of ‘Never Happen Events’, and suggested that was an indication something was going wrong…it was.

Years ago I worked in the meat trade, just off Smithfield market. Back then Barts (St. Bartholemews) was world famous and respected.

It was certainly respected by the butchers and meat porters of Smithfield market. Butchers have a habit of stabbing themselves in the leg – usually hitting the femoral artery. That spurts blood like the jugular vein and you don’t get too long – but back then when Bart’s had an Accident and Emergency the meat porters would throw the unfortunate patient on a heavy oak meat trolley and five or six of them would race it through the market, across the road and into the A and E within about 30 seconds.

Over the years there were many attempts to shut the A and E which we all fought, lives really were at stake. After I left the industry I kept an eye on (and supported) the campaigns to save Barts lifesaving A and E but in the end it closed.

Since then there have been a series of management scandals at the hospital although nowadays it has been merged about three or four times into a massive and incompetent trust.

This scandal (which we should have heard about 2 years ago) threatened the evidence in countless rape cases as well as traumatising the victims. Now the trust has lost control of this unit it is time for a public enquiry into the running of the whole trust;

 

BBC News - Haven Whitechapel apologises over 'inexcusable failings'

 

 27 December 2013

Haven Whitechapel apologises over 'inexcusable failings' NHS

England said 93 clients were "affected by the two issues"

An NHS Trust has apologised for "inexcusable failings" at a sexual assault referral centre in London after complaints that samples were not sent to forensic laboratories for DNA tests.

Two staff members have been dismissed from the Haven in Whitechapel and the centre is under new management.

NHS England said results from some samples had also not been passed on. It said 93 clients were affected.

Barts Health NHS Trust said swift action was taken to retest samples.

An NHS England spokesman said "a serious incident was raised" in 2011 and "an immediate investigation carried out" at the Haven in Whitechapel.

"This investigation unearthed a further issue of results from samples having been received but not passed on to clients," he added.

"A total of 93 clients were affected by the two issues."

Confidential report

 Since April 2013, when NHS England was established, the commissioning arrangements for the Haven have changed.

“We are extremely sorry for the inexcusable failings at the Whitechapel Haven”

NHS England said all three Havens in London - in Whitechapel, Paddington and Camberwell - were now managed by King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Camberwell and Paddington Havens were not affected by the incident.

The Haven in Whitechapel has reopened but is yet to provide a full 24-hour service.

Barts Health NHS Trust said in a statement: "We are extremely sorry for the inexcusable failings at the Whitechapel Haven.

"As soon as we became aware that there was an issue in 2011, we took swift and immediate action to ensure that all the affected samples were retested and contacted the individuals involved to offer a full apology, support and counselling."

The Independent newspaper says it has seen a confidential report into the incident, obtained by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

The paper reports that dozens of samples taken from victims of sexual attacks had been left in a fridge instead of being sent for forensic analysis.

Staff described working in "an oppressive, tense environment" and told investigators they dreaded shifts but were afraid to complain to managers, the Independent said.

The paper said the report had not been made public while the trust said it had "strived for transparency throughout".

Staff 'commended'

 

The trust said there had been no suggestion it had acted in an inappropriate way during the investigation. It said: "The independent investigation report commented on the diligence, honesty and openness of our staff in working together to discover and correct what had gone wrong."

The trust also pointed out that its staff had been commended "for the quality of individual care provided to those accessing the service".

NHS England said: "The trust took swift and immediate action working with the Metropolitan Police to ensure that forensic testing took place without further delay on all samples affected.

"Immediate steps were taken to contact each client, whose samples had not been sent for testing, as well as those whose samples had been tested but who had not been informed of the results.

"They received a full apology and were invited to make an appointment with a trained counsellor to receive the results and continued support."

Liz Kendall, Shadow Social Care Minister, said the report should have been immediately published.

"The women who have been affected have a right to know who is responsible for the unacceptable failings at Whitechapel Haven and that they are properly held to account.

"Complete transparency is also essential to ensure similar services for rape victims learn the lessons from what has happened to make sure these appalling mistakes never happen again."

As its Christmas I think I’ll repeat the story of how Barts came to be.

A long, long time ago there was a cruel King who had a beautiful and kind wife who wept for the poor and sick.

Tired of her begging he eventually said she could build a hospital on a piece of land he would give her. He then gave her his silk handkerchief and told her he would give her any piece of land she chose – so long as the handkerchief could cover it.

After he left, the Queen sat for days picking apart the silk until it was a roll of thread and summoning the King to the City of London she then marked out the boundary of today’s Barts Hospital with the silken thread.

Neil Harris

(a don’t stop till you drop production)