The parliamentary health services ombudsman, Julie Mellor, was on the radio last week talking about problems with making complaints in the NHS.
http://www.ombudsman.org.uk/about-us/news-centre/press-releases/2015/ombudsman-finds-variation-in-quality-of-nhs-investigations-into-complaints-of-avoidable-death-and-avoidable-harm
Today it was the turn of Robert Francis to make some very important comments about openness and whistle blowing in the NHS.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-31362196
The abiding message is that without a willingness to talk openly and honestly about the things that go wrong, and a culture in which those who raise concerns are supported and respected, safety will always be compromised.
You only need to read Ray Jones excellent book, The Story of Baby P, to appreciate the full extent of the oppressive culture of blame and scapegoating which so often persists in the world of child protection in the UK.
Legislators and policy makers should be looking at ways of creating open reporting cultures as the top priority. Without that sort of change there will be no improvement.
