Whistle Blowing Nurse Struck Off
Despite being applauded by advocacy groups for improved care of the elderly, Margaret Haywood, the nurse who filmed the awful conditions in a Brighton hospital for the BBC Panorama programme, has been struck off the register by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. You can read the full decision of the NMC here. As in the case of Karen Reissman, it appears that despite the Public Interest Disclosure Act, it is still the whistle blower who will suffer rather than those exposed for wrong-doing. Up to now, none of the main health union websites have any mention of this case though that may change in the next day or so. An RCN spokesperson supported whistle blowing in general but refused to support Margaret Haywood.
posted by David Linsey at 11:16 am
2 Comments:
Nurses are accountable for their practice to the NMC under our code of conduct which is very clear on confidentiality and she intentionally broke her code of conduct.
Karen on the other hand (from what I understand) never jeopodised patient confidentiality and stayed within the code
17/4/09 23:44
James,
Thank you for your comment. It is clear that Margaret Haywood realised that she was breaching patient confidentiality but she believed (and this was proven by the subsequent actions of the trust) that she was helping to improve the care of all elderly patients in her hospital. The comments on the Nursing Times website, the statement from Unite and the letters from Professor PJ Barker in the Guardian and the Independent today are all overwhelming in their support of Ms Haywood. Professor Barker refers to the case of Graham Pink who was also sacked for breaching confidentiality and was recently voted one of the top twenty nurses in the sixty years of the NHS.
18/4/09 11:52
Post a Comment
<< Home