Petition updateAvon & Wiltshire MH Trust - Must Face Responsibilities over bullying.

Failure of NHS Investigatory bodies - too many organisations, no 'watchmen'

Marianne Richards MSc. DipTHPSomerset, ENG, United Kingdom
Apr 3, 2023

This has been a harrowing journey, yet not without success, enabling me to grow as a campaigner and learn more of my capabilities as an autistic person of nearly 70. No one sets out to be a campaigner. I would rather have enjoyed a career in mental health research as intended. Yet, experiencing NHS investigatory system failures makes me determined to follow this to the highest levels. 

Sir Robert Francis instructed CQC to investigate in 2021. When this reached the new FTSUG at AWP, she bungled. I waited a year for her to stop making last-minute excuses [very stressful] and interview me. When she arrived, she left to deal with a family matter before the interview, leaving me fuming. She was out of her depth, claiming there were far more documents than other cases. Well, it has been 17 years, dear! 

I made Herculean efforts to get this far, with a very busy Sir Robert Francis going out of his way to get me this chance. AWP remain hiding behind their legal team, responding they, 'understand my position.' Guilt speaks for itself. I shall approach them again, copying the video to my You Tube channel.

Under current conditions, I do not encourage potential whistle-blowers to speak out whilst still employed by a toxic firm. Instead, find a post at an NHS Investigatory body, earn a salary/pension, and use this as a platform to speak out. 

It is clear many NHS investigatory staff are inexperienced; not understanding vital facets like bully lore, individual & group behaviour under stress. They know little or nothing about autism. The plethora of NHS investigatory bodies, using the lion's share of funding, are disconnected, with over-rigid parameters. Many cases fall between rules, leading to, 'it's not our job[sworth]'. Imagine this as a constellation - at a distance stars appear to form a pattern but in reality they are light years apart. Victims trudge between agencies like grey ghosts, in search of mostly futile solutions. Meanwhile, rogue Trusts can refuse the very agencies set up to resolve workplace disputes - ACAS and NHS Resolution. Madness - a huge waste of taxpayers money.

Solution - get rid of ineffective and disparate agencies. Set up one access point, with legal responsibility to see individual complaints to conclusion. For Trusts refusing mediation, pay victims fair settlement through NHS Resolution, deducting this compensation from the rogue Trust. Also, remove their funding for legal professionals. That will put responsibility where it belongs - preventing harrowing cases like mine, endless delays and huge cost of ineffective, over-large bodies like CQC.

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