Dear supporters,
I am writing to update you on a deeply troubling development that highlights the hostile environment whistle-blowers and mental health patients continue to face at Swansea Bay University Health Board (UHB).
Today I submitted a formal complaint to Swansea Bay University Health Board regarding inappropriate and discriminatory online conduct from someone closely connected to its senior leadership.
The issue concerns the spouse of Mr. Stephen Jones, former Director of Nursing for Mental Health at Swansea Bay (recently resigned) and now Deputy Head of Nursing – Corporate Projects. This individual—publicly connected to NHS leadership—"liked" dozens of abusive, discriminatory, and dehumanising comments on Facebook responding to my story as a patient and whistle-blower. These comments were made in response to a news article about my experiences as a mental health patient under Swansea Bay services, as part of my call for change in services based on my shocking experience.
These comments attacking me personally include:
- Mocking my suicide attempt and diagnosis
- Suggesting I should be denied life-saving care in future crises
- Calling me “manipulative,” “pathetic,” and “attention-seeking”
- Implying my story was fabricated for financial gain
- Cast doubt on the legitimacy of my suicide attempts
When someone married to a current senior NHS mental health leader publicly endorses this level of hostility, the concern isn’t only personal—it’s systemic. It raises serious questions about the culture and values at the heart of Swansea Bay UHB.
⚠️ What’s Been Breached — and Why It Matters
This behaviour violates several formal NHS Wales and UK-wide policies:
🔹 1. NHS Wales Core Values & Code of Conduct
Respect. Compassion. Everyone counts. These fundamental values were abandoned when the spouse of a leader liked posts calling me “pathetic”, questioning my survival, and suggesting I deserved abandonment.
🔹 2. Social Media & Disciplinary Guidelines
Swansea Bay UHB’s policies warn that even family members publicly associated with NHS staff should avoid conduct that “brings the Health Board into disrepute.” These likes, visible and traceable, do exactly that.
🔹 3. The Equality Act 2010
As someone with a diagnosed mental health condition, I am protected from discrimination and harassment. These online comments—and their public endorsement—meet the legal definition of harassment under Section 26.
🔹 4. NHS ‘Freedom to Speak Up’ Whistleblower Policy
This isn’t just personal—it’s a pattern. I’ve faced serious reltalitatory conduct since raising concerns. For a close relative of leadership to now participate in public shaming reinforces a toxic anti-whistle-blower culture.
🔹 5. Duty of Candour & Safeguarding Principles
NHS staff have a moral and legal duty to protect vulnerable patients—including from emotional and reputational harm. The silence from leadership in response to this behaviour undermines that duty.
🔹 6. Reputational Standards (NMC/GMC)
While spouses aren’t bound by the NMC Code, it clearly states that nurses must “preserve public trust in the profession” and “take action if others behave inappropriately.” Leadership must not turn a blind eye when the reputations and safety of patients are at stake.
📹 Visual Evidence Submitted
I’ve compiled a short video presenting the exact comments and showing the public “likes” by this individual, to ensure transparency:
👉 Watch the video here
🗣️ Shareable Quote
“When a senior NHS leader’s household publicly endorses comments that mock and dehumanise a whistle-blowing patient, it’s not just cruel—it signals a failure of leadership, safeguarding, and institutional integrity.”
Please feel free to quote and share this widely to spread awareness of the deeper issues this reflects.
🔍 What I’ve Requested in the Complaint:
- A full investigation into the conduct of Mr. Jones’s spouse
- A review of Mr. Jones’s current role in light of these events
- Concrete steps to protect whistle-blowers and mental health patients from future online retaliation
- A written apology for the harm caused
🔁 My Response to the Ongoing Abuse & Misinformation
As someone who has survived a near-fatal suicide attempt and is speaking out about serious NHS care failings backed by multiple coroner reports, it’s disheartening — and dangerous — to see this kind of commentary.
Let’s be clear:
🧠 Mental illness is not a character flaw. It is not “manipulation,” “attention-seeking,” or “stupidity.” I live with diagnosed mental health conditions protected under the equality act, including traits of EUPD, and like many, I’ve experienced suicidal crises. My risk and safety concerns were not taken seriously — I nearly died as a result.
📜 I have evidence.
I published evidence directly from my medical records confirming the need for DBT and a care coordinator — this wasn’t a “demand” but a clinical recommendation. To accuse me of faking medical records is defamatory and retraumatising.
🛑 Stigma kills.
This language — calling me “pathetic,” “a joke,” and suggesting I should be left to die — is horrifying. It’s exactly why many patients don’t speak up. And when those linked to NHS leadership endorse these posts, it reinforces a toxic culture of silencing and blame.
🏥 Hospital settings have duties of care.
Suicidal individuals require proactive safeguarding — including screening deliveries and following mental health observation policies. Blaming a suicidal person for nearly dying while under NHS care goes against every clinical and ethical guideline.
⚖️ Would you say the same if I had cancer?
If someone with cancer had a severe allergic reaction while in hospital care — due to known risks — no one would say “they brought it on themselves.” Why is it different for mental illness? This is prejudice, plain and simple.
🎓 Re: My education
Yes, I worked hard and had university offers. That doesn’t cancel out due to mental illness. I’ve paused my future to focus on recovery— responsibly, with the right support i.e DBT therapy. Ironically, my lived experience may one day help me support others more effectively than many who’ve mocked me.
🧭 A final thought:
If your instinct when seeing someone in pain is to shame, blame, and dehumanise them — please consider whether you’re part of the problem in a system that has failed too many.
💬 Why This Matters for Everyone
If someone in my position can be mocked so openly, what hope is there for others who are less visible or unable to speak out? This situation isn’t about one individual—it’s about power, accountability, and how easily NHS leadership can look away when discrimination is carried out by those close to them.
No mental health patient should have to read comments advocating for their abandonment in crisis—let alone see those comments publicly liked by someone tied to NHS leadership. It retraumatises, isolates, and dehumanises the very people these services claim to support.
This Health Board cannot claim to support patient dignity or whistle-blower protections while remaining silent on this.
This update and complaint are part of a continued push for accountability. When senior figures or those close to them publicly engage in hostility toward named patients, it sends a chilling message about who is “welcome” to speak up or seek care.
Thank you again for your continued support in this fight for justice, reform, and protection for vulnerable patients across Wales. This petition and your support give strength to my voice at a time when the system is actively trying to silence it.
I will keep you informed of the Health Board’s response—or lack thereof. If necessary, I am prepared to escalate this to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales and other bodies.
Many thanks,
Jacob Robertson