BBC Panorama standing by struck off nurse Margaret Haywood

As you probably heard or read somewhere over the last week, BBC Panorama's undercover nurse, Margaret Haywood, lost her livelihood when she was struck off by the Nursing and Midwifery Council for breaching patient confidentiality.

In a follow up post last week I expressed concern and hoped that the BBC would not let Ms Haywood 'hang out to dry'.

I was therefore pleased to read today, a couple of follow up posts from the BBC, showing how they are supporting Ms Haywood.

I was also delighted to see A Gibo's Tale get a mention in despatches, on the BBC's own Panorama Blog, describing my blogs about Ms Haywood as "one blogger who has expressed indignation at the NMC's decision"... and I did too! They should have said I was bloody livid... not just indignant. That would have been more accurate! But... thanks for the mention Auntie Beeb... I am quite chuffed!

Today, BBC Panorama asks "What's next for the undercover nurse?"

Panorama explain that Ms Haywood, 58, is currently reviewing her appeal options with the support of her legal team and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), who also last week set up a Petition in Support of Margaret Haywood. So far, as I write, 25,827 people have signed the petition!

The BBC add that "without her licence to practice, she has lost her position as a trainer of other nurses and carers".

This is the real worry for me and why I said I hope the BBC don't let her 'hang out to dry'.

Which is why I was particularly pleased to read that BBC Panorama report that she is being supported by the BBC and is working as a consultant to Panorama and to the rest of BBC News and Current Affairs on health issues, until her future becomes clearer. That's great to hear!

Ms Haywood said she knew the risk she was taking in deciding to film undercover for the July 2005 programme, but feels the decision to prevent her from working as a nurse after a career of more than 20 years was unduly harsh.

Ms Haywood admitted to the charge that she breached confidentiality, but argued that it was justified by an overreaching public interest.

"I didn't sort of take the decision lightly I did look into it, I did give it an awful lot of thought and I knew that my position would be compromised by doing it - but I think the public needed to be aware of what was going on on the ward."

Quite right Margaret... the public do need to be aware... and you did absolutely right in bringing this to the public's attention... and thousands of us are supporting your action!

Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive of the RCN also agrees and said the union feels the punishment was "harsh and disproportionate and beyond the level of sanction" they expected.

You can support Margaret Haywood

RCN Petition in Support of Margaret Haywood > Support for whistleblowing nurse struck off by NMC @ GoPetitions

If you would like to support Margaret Haywood on Facebook, there are a number of Groups now set up. You can find them posted at this Facebook Group whose aim is to Reinstate Margaret Haywood.

If you want to let the NMC know how you feel you can do so by emailing this article to them - Just click on the 'SHARE' button below to email them - Copy these email addresses as they are (including the comma) and paste it into the email address window of the 'SHARE' email: fitness.to.practise@nmc-uk.org, communications@nmc-uk.org - You might like to add, as I did, that you think their decision is "appalling and shameful"!

Petitions set up in support of Margaret Haywood

There are now a number of petitions set up in support of Margaret Haywood, the 'whistleblowing' nurse who has been struck off so unfairly by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Here's a couple I have chosen to support.

The following Petition has been set up by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) who have been providing legal representation for Margaret Haywood:

Petition in Support of Margaret Haywood > Support for whistleblowing nurse struck off by NMC @ GoPetitions

The petition reads:

"We, the undersigned, wish to show our support for nurse Margaret Haywood who raised issues of concern around poor patient care.

We believe that Margaret was justified in exposing the worrying conditions at her local hospital and that the NMC was wrong to strike her off the nursing register."

This Petition is to the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street website:

Petition for the Prime Minister to Intervene on behalf of Nurse Margaret Haywood @ Number10 > Prime Minister's Office

I have happily signed both petitions but I have to say I think the Prime Minister's e-Petition is a bit of a waste of time... as I doubt very much that Brown will be at all inclined to intervene in this matter... his Government is more intent on muzzling whistle blowers... not helping people in need!

Latest News on Margaret Haywoood

Ms Haywood from Liverpool, who worked as a nurse for 20 years and is now unemployed and disbarred from carying on employment as a Nurse by the NMC, is now taking advice from her professional body, the RCN, about challenging the ruling at the High Court.

Chris Cox, director of legal services at the Royal College of Nursing, said:

"The RCN has been providing legal representation for Margaret Haywood from the outset and is very surprised at the severity of the punishment dealt out by the NMC panel.

Our legal team are working with Margaret to explore the various legal options available to her in light of the judgment."

I wish them every success... and the sooner the better!

Today, I was also pleased to read that hundreds of nurses have contacted the Nursing and Midwifery Council to protest its decision to to ban Ms Haywood from the profession, amid fears that it will discourage other NHS whistleblowers from coming forward.

Yesterday, the NMC disclosed that it they had received over 400 emails and 200 telephone calls in support of Ms Haywood, with most of the complaints coming from other nurses.

I have visited many websites who have commented on this story over the last few days. It's quite amazing that I have yet to come across a comment in support of the NMC's decision... that is quite telling and just shows how out of step the NMC's ruling is with NHS staff and the public at large.

Here's one comment I came across, in the Nursing Times, which rather encapsulates NHS Staff (and the general public's) strong feelings in this matter:

"The health, safety, well being and care of patients is what is meant to concern us. This principle should over-ride any requirement to ask patients permission to record the lack of or poor quality of the care and treatment they are receiving.

After this foolish ruling nobody will feel inclined to raise concerns about any aspect of treatment and those who suffer will be the patients whose care is our number 1 concern!

Source: NMC defends decision to strike off undercover nurse Margaret Haywood. | News | Nursing Times

If you would like to support Margaret Haywood on Facebook, there are a number of Groups now set up. You can find them posted at this Facebook Group whose aim is to Reinstate Margaret Haywood.

If you want to let the NMC know how you feel you can do so by emailing this article to them - Just click on the 'SHARE' button below to email them - Copy these email addresses as they are (including the comma) and paste it into the email address window of the 'SHARE' email: fitness.to.practise@nmc-uk.org, communications@nmc-uk.org - You might like to add, as I did, that you think their decision is "appalling and shameful"!

Nursing and Midwifery Council insist on their crass decision on Haywood

Following my post last night about the 'striking off' of whistleblowing nurse Margaret Haywood, I see today the Nursing and Midwifery Council have had to put out a statement explaining their decision!

In a statement published on their website this morning, the NMC note 'significant media interest' concerning their decision, by an independent panel of the Nursing & Midwifery Council’s Conduct and Competence Committee to strike off Margaret Haywood from the register.

The NMC say "the view of the independent panel was that Margaret Haywood’s actions in breaching patient confidentiality represented a major breach of ‘The Code: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives’ by which all nurses and midwives must abide".

"Based upon the evidence it heard, the independent Panel decided that Margaret Haywood’s fitness to practise was impaired by reason of misconduct.

A patient should be able to trust a nurse with his/her physical condition and psychological wellbeing without that confidential information being disclosed to others. Only in the most exceptional circumstances should the cardinal principle of patient confidentiality be breached. Based upon the evidence it heard, the panel did not believe that this was the case and although the conditions on the ward were serious, it was not necessary to breach confidentiality to seek to improve them by the method chosen. The panel believed that the method was unlikely to benefit the patients that were on the ward at the time of filming and under Margaret Haywood’s care."

What a load of tripe!

At the NMC hearing, Elizabeth Bloor, the producer of BBC's Panorama programme that blew the whistle on the Royal Sussex Hospital's lack of care of the elderly, gave evidence and told the hearing consent had been obtained from all the families of patients involved in the filming!

The BBC producer added that there had been "an over-arching public interest" to produce the Undercover Nurse documentary because Panorama had received up to 5,000 complaints about conditions.

In November the panel found no evidence that Ms Haywood broke the NHS Trust's policy on whistle-blowing by raising concerns about patient care in the documentary, or that she failed to assist colleagues when a patient was having a seizure.

A BBC spokesman said "there was clearly a strong public interest in revealing that some elderly people were not receiving the level of care we expect from our national health service".

"Panorama believes that Margaret Haywood has done the elderly population of this country a great service."

Today, listening to a BBC Radio 5 Live phone-in, it was clear that a very significant number of people across the country agree that Ms Haywood's actions have improved care for the elderly... and not just in Sussex. They also believe the NMC have got it wrong!

People are grateful for the courage and enterprise Ms Haywood showed... in standing up and fighting for these elderly patients... and blowing the whistle on the Royal Sussex Hospital.

The consequences Ms Haywood now faces... in being unemployed and disbarred from being able to continue employment as a nurse is shameful. This woman should be being congratulated for what she did!

If you would like to support Margaret Haywood, there is a Facebook Group whose aim is to Reinstate Margaret Haywood.

Update - Petitions set up

There are now a number of Petitions set up in support of Margaret Haywood and I have listed those I have chosen to support here: Petitions set up in support of Margaret Haywood

If you want to let the NMC know how you feel you can do so by emailing this article to them - Just click on the 'SHARE' button below to email them - Copy these email addresses as they are (including the comma) and paste it into the email address window of the 'SHARE' email: fitness.to.practise@nmc-uk.org, communications@nmc-uk.org - You might like to add, as I did, that you think their decision is "appalling and shameful"!

NHS 'whistleblowing' nurse shamefully struck off by NMC

Margaret Haywood, a whistleblowing nurse who secretly filmed for the BBC to reveal the neglect of elderly patients at a hospital has been struck off for misconduct.

Ms Haywood who is 58, secretly filmed elderly patients at the Royal Sussex Hospital in Brighton for a BBC Panorama programme in July 2005.

Today... in an unbelievably crass act she was struck off by the Nursing and Midwifery Council who said she failed to "follow her obligations as a nurse". In other words... the Nursing and Midwifery Council believe that rules... are more important and come before the care of patients! Unbelievable!!

Ms Haywood, who is originally from Liverpool and has been a nurse for over 20 years, said she thought she had been treated harshly and insisted she had put patients first.

"I am absolutely devastated and upset by it all. I think I have been treated very harshly."

I think most people would agree Margaret!!

Ms Haywood is now calling for a whistle-blower review and I'm glad she is as this is really very unjust. Her intentions were clearly to help these patients. If the Nursing and Midwifery Council felt that strongly that Ms Haywood had indeed failed in her nursing duties, then in the circumstances, I would have thought some sort of reprimand would have been more appropriate.

A spokesman for the Royal College of Nursing said parts of the NHS did not have "systems or working environments" in place that encouraged staff to speak out. He added:

"This can put staff in an extremely difficult position and when staff concerns are discouraged or ignored, it can often lead to poor patient care getting worse.

It is absolutely vital that healthcare staff at all levels feel they can raise concerns about poor patient care with their managers."

But a Department of Health spokesperson said:

"Whistle-blowers already have full protection under the Public Interest Disclosure Act passed by this Government.

We expect that any member of staff who reports concerns about the safety or quality of care to be listened to by their managers and action taken to address their concerns."

Well... the Public Interest Disclosure Act doesn't seem to have helped Ms Haywood very much so far... despite the fact that she did her best to report her concerns to her managers, as she confirms:

"I did voice my concerns through my immediate line manager and I also went to my ward manager but nothing was really taken on board.

Nurses are afraid to speak out about what is happening and the whole process needs to be reviewed so nurses can make it easier to voice their concerns."

Quite! They should also not be struck off for 'whistleblowing' clear examples of appalling treatment of the elderly!

I very much hope the BBC are supporting Ms Haywood's case... and not letting her hang out to dry!

If you would like to support Margaret Haywood, there is a Facebook Group whose aim is to Reinstate Margaret Haywood.

Update - Petitions set up

There are now a number of Petitions set up in support of Margaret Haywood and I have listed those I have chosen to support here: Petitions set up in support of Margaret Haywood

If you want to let the NMC know how you feel you can do so by emailing this article to them - Just click on the 'SHARE' button below to email them - Copy these email addresses as they are (including the comma) and paste it into the email address window of the 'SHARE' email: fitness.to.practise@nmc-uk.org, communications@nmc-uk.org - You might like to add, as I did, that you think their decision is "appalling and shameful"!