A blog about Wirral Council, Wirral Council's councillors & officers
A blog about Wirral Council's public meetings, Wirral Council's councillors, Bidston & St. James ward and other public bodies on Merseyside
HMCTS issue revised guidance to staff for “supporting media access to courts and tribunals”
By John Brace (Editor)
HMCTS (Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service) on 5th March 2020 have issued updated guidance to staff on “supporting media access to courts and tribunals”.
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Senior Manager at Wirral Council dismissed for gross misconduct for email about Joe Blott
A 22 page Employment Tribunal decision published in late November 2018 dismissed a Mr Leyland Otter’s allegations of unfair dismissal and unpaid redundancy.
Wirral Council had sacked Mr Otter for gross misconduct on 6th February 2018 because of an offensive email he had written about Joe Blott to a friend referred to as Mr H. Unfortunately Mr H to Mr Otter in his reply had accidentally copied in Joe Blott.
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Why are people trying to silence doctors on the subject of patient safety?
I’ll start this blog post today unusually with a quote from a Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, uttered by Patrick Stewart playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard,
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Star Trek TNG: Series 4 Episode 21 The Drumhead
Those are words which will resonate with many whistleblowers and indeed last week I wrote not just one but two pieces about an ongoing Employment Tribunal about a doctor who blew the whistle on patient safety and was told she was not allowed to speak.
On Tuesday, councillors on Wirral Council’s Adult Care and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee are reviewing a decision by the Joint Strategic Commissioning Board (a joint committee of Wirral Council and Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group) to pool budgets of Wirral Council and the Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group.
It would be fair to say that following the Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group’s decision to ignore the recommendation of the majority of councillors on the Adult Care and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee to end the Walk-In Centre Closure consultation that relationships between Wirral Council and the Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group are somewhat strained.
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Adult Care and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Wirral Council) 12th November 2018 Pt 16 of 19
Going back to what I started this piece about on the subject of raising concerns about patient safety. At a recent well attended public meeting Dr Mantgani during the meeting who was also raising concerns about patient safety was also told to keep quiet. Dr Mantgani was the Wirral CCG’s former Chief Clinical Officer but left in 2014 receiving £56,000 in lieu of six months notice. A Capability and Governance Review carried out by John Bewick OBE and published in August 2014 following concerns raised with NHS England recommended external intervention in how the Wirral CCG was run including in the delivery of accident and emergency and urgent care.
Responding to the points raised in this article, Dr Mantgani wrote,
The fundamental issue was that I was reluctant to divert all resources to keep a failing hospital propped up at the cost of community services which is what Dr Jennings wanted to do.
Four years on, the issues are the same.”
NHS England recently in August 2018 used its formal legal powers of “directions” to Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group. Directions can only be issued if NHS England is satisfied that (a) a clinical commissioning group is failing or has failed to discharge any of its functions, or (b) there is a significant risk that a clinical commissioning group will fail to do so.
Controversial proposed changes in the NHS made for mainly financial reasons have been opposed by protest groups such as Defend Our NHS.
The problems faced by Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group over governance have been well documented over the years by the local media, but now with national intervention and a deterioration in its relationship with local councillors after their recommendation was rebuffed, political matters will reach a stage where the individuals involved will have to consider whether creative leadership is required to find a way through or whether the best option is to leave it to other individuals.
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Employment Tribunal heard what happened when whistleblowing concerns were raised by doctors about patient safety at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital
This continues from Employment Tribunal hears whistleblowing concerns about patient safety at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
It was put to Dr Ryan that she had confused the chronology and she was asked if it was possible that the meeting at which Dr McDaid and another doctor had sought to persuade her about the changes at which they’d provided a presentation was after the email, a few days after on the 25th January or the 27th January? Dr Ryan answered that she didn’t remember meeting them as a separate group if indeed such a meeting took place.
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Employment Tribunal Day 6 of 10: Cross-examination of Kate Robinson
This is a report of an Employment Tribunal hearing I attended, the matter had already been part heard and this was day 6 of 10. As far as I know there are no reporting restrictions. After the cross-examination of Surjit Tour there was a break and the hearing resumed at 11.25 am.
Venue: Tribunal Room 2, Third Floor, Liverpool Civil and Family Court Hearing Centre, 35 Vernon Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L2 2BX
Case reference: 2400718/16
Appellant: Mrs A. Mountney
Respondent: Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council
Employment Judge: Judge Robinson
Tribunal Members:
Mr AG Barker
Mrs JE Williams
Clerk: Lynne Quilty
Date: 6.2.2017
Time: 10.00 am
The Employment Judge thanked everybody and asked Mrs Mountney if it was ok to continue? Kate Robinson (pictured above) was asked to read from the blue card.
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