Dynamic duo

On 29 April 2016, NHS [Un]Improvement [Monitor] announced: 

“We’re proposing that Tim will join Alan Yates, who was appointed as Improvement Director at Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust earlier this year. Tim’s proposed appointment at the top of the organisation will speed up the dramatic change that is needed urgently at Southern Health.”

Tim Smart

Alan Yates

 

So what urgent and dramatic changes have they made so far?   

 

 

At his first Council of Governors Meeting, Alan Yates was keen to limit expectations because he only works at Southern Health one day a week. Here is a subsequent email to him his business address:

From: [Redacted] Sent: 10 May 2016 10:57 To: ‘info@uhsltd.co.uk‘ Subject:  [RESTRICTED] Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust  Attachments:  To Petter – 20.10.15.pdf; SHNFT – Open Letter to KP, LS – 01.05.16.pdf; Southern Health Open Letter 2 – 20.12.15.pdf Importance: High

Alan

It was a pleasure meeting you, albeit briefly, at the recent Council of Governors Meeting. I cannot recall if you stayed until ‘public questions’ but I believe my deposition finally had impact. Governor agreed that my allegation that Katrina Percy had colluded with Deloitte LPP in order to mislead the Department of Health and Southampton CCG was extremely serious and asked if I could prove it: I did so – I had the documents with me.

Images of the emails are at https://999crash.wordpress.com/2016/02/28/deloitterers/. The redactions are my name and the names of specific officials at the DH and CCG supporting me. It did not surprise me to learn that Deloitte’s Director, Dr Bevington, is a medical doctor! How can anyone justifying paying a fortune to Deloitte for a review of quality and governance – only to manipulate the facts when asked by a CCG and the DoH!

And this is not the only scandal in my data. No wonder a number of executive directors colluded in refusing to complete my Subject Access Request – it took circa 880 days! 

I sent the email below to Tim Smart* (via Monitor) with the same attachments. They are largely self-explanatory and the email contains a number of links, which provide further evidence of serious misconduct by SHNFT Directors. I would be grateful if you could read the email, the attachments and web content via the links provided.

You will note that I requested complete confidentiality, which Mike respected: I would ask you to do likewise, at least until you have more details. Otherwise, you will not get to the truth. Mike was dealing personally with my case so I assume Mr Smart will take it over anyway.

Naturally, if/when you have a dedicated and secure email address at Southern Health, I will use it. Meanwhile, as you will see that I did with Mike (with his agreement), I will use your direct address.

With kind regards, Yours sincerely

* Email to Mr Smart (also dated 10 May 2016) predates those below. For brevity, we do not repeat it here. It contains links to this blog and those of Sara Ryan and George Julian all containing evidence of misconduct (or worse).

Response? None, not even an auto-receipt.

Now an email exchange with Mr Smart.

From: [Redacted] Sent: 17 May 2016 09:47 To: Smart, Tim Subject: Meeting Today Importance: High

Dear Tim

I do hope that you will attend the Council of Governors meeting today, if only to meet some of Southern Health’s victims.

You say (I understand) that you require six weeks to collate evidence. At an earlier Board Meeting this year, Mike Petter confirmed that he had a zero tolerance policy towards officials breaking the law and a (qualified) zero tolerance policy towards officials being dishonest.

Please give me one/two hours of your time (not today) and I will provide proof of both Katrina Percy and Dr Lesley Stevens breaking the law, being thoroughly dishonest and acting in a wholly improper manner – what’s more, the Information Commissioner, the Department of Health and the National Audit Office can corroborate my evidence.

With respect, you do not need six weeks – meet me and you will have grounds to suspend both immediately pending a full disciplinary process. I can also provide damming evidence against two NEDs – Berriman and Spires.

Suspend these four and you are on the way to ensuring Southern Health’s recovery.

I hope to meet you later today. With best wishes etc.

---

From: Tim.Smart@southernhealth.nhs.uk Sent: 17 May 2016 12:53 To:[Redacted] cc: Louisa.Felice@SouthernHealth.nhs.uk Subject: RE: Meeting Today

Dear [Redacted]

I hope you have seen various pieces of correspondence which confirm that the Extraordinary Council of Governors scheduled for today was adjourned by the Chair on legal advice.

Any meetings taking place today do not have any legal force.

I have met informally this morning with members of eth Council of Governors, and I will shortly reconvene the extraordinary CoG to consider the outputs of a process which the CoG will undertake with the support of independent legal advice which the trust will fund.

On a separate note, I fully intend to meet with patient representatives, as part of my fact finding and considerations, and a programme is under development to enable me to do that.

[Note – no closing courtesies]

Interim Chair Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust 023 8087 4313

---

From: [Redacted] Sent: 19 May 2016 13:04 To: Tim.Smart@southernhealth.nhs.uk          Subject: OPEN EMAIL Importance: High 

OPEN EMAIL

Dear Tim

Thank you very much for your prompt response. Firstly, I prefer to work on first name terms.

I was fully aware that it was not a formal Governors’ meeting – in fact I think the few Governors, who did want to meet victims and their families, learnt more than had it been a formal meeting! It is a great shame that you felt constrained not to come along on the same basis and also (it appears) actively discouraged other governors from attending.

My immediate concern is threefold.

1. I refer to my email dated 10/05/2016 at 09:48 hrs, sent to you via NHS Improvement: “I am attaching an email chain between Mike Petter and me to demonstrate that initially (owing to the circumstances of my complaint) we communicated through alternative addresses and he met me at home. In my email of 17 October 2015, I requested complete confidentiality, which Mike respected, and I would ask you to do likewise, at least until we have met.” I am deeply concerned that you have not respected my wishes by copying your recent email to Louise Felice: it does not inspire confidence. Louise is linked inextricably to the institutional dishonesty, to which I have been subjected in the last 4½ years. Undoubtedly, she will attempt to discredit me and probably has already done so: perhaps it explains your reluctance to meet me. I have no problem of course with your PA keeping copies of our correspondence.
2. In a long career, I have been responsible both for dismissing staff and was unfairly dismissed myself twice. In both respects, I have a 100% success rate and, in respect of dismissing people, I never became even close to being taken to a Tribunal. With this experience, I am confident that the following advice is legally sound. With respect, your claim to need six weeks in respect of Katrina Percy and Lesley Stevens is untenable. At a one hour meeting, I can provide prima facie proof of multiple examples of dishonesty and breaches of Acts of Parliament (arguably amounting to corruption), which is more than sufficient to suspend both of them immediately pending a full disciplinary inquiry. Having suspended them, that is the time to start meeting patient representatives and hear even more evidence for the disciplinary process. There will be less hostility towards you, enabling the meetings to be more constructive. Valerie Walsh’s allegations of being so bullied for speaking out that she had to resign (only last week) to protect her own health shows that nothing has changed. Suspending Percy and Stevens will reduce the fear of reprisals amongst other staff who wish to speak out.
3. You, “Fully intend to meet with patient representatives” and make no mention of survivors of maltreatment by Southern Health, who can talk from personal direct experience. Please confirm that you intend to meet survivors too. Unfortunately, I have to report that one patient’s representative is very hesitant about meeting you (without dismissing it completely) because of a lack of confidence in your independence already. It is evident that the Trust’s reputation is still spirally rapidly downwards and will continue to do so with Percy and Stevens at the helm. Until they go, you cannot even start the long uphill process of rebuilding public trust. Nothing you say (however well-intended) will help. I hope that you accept this email in the spirit intended.

           Yours etc.

So where, Mr Smart and Mr Yates, is the urgently needed dramatic change at Southern Health? You know that all the evidence is available but refuse to hear it in person – and STILL need another six weeks.

Meanwhile, solicitors and consultants line their pockets at the taxpayers’ expense.

Solicitors recently linked with Southern Health – Capsticks [yes, I know] – won ‘The Health Investor Award (recognising achievement in the business of healthcare)’ for ‘Legal Advisors of the Year – Public’ in 2015 and are shortlisted again in 2016, so why would they want to upset the NHS applecart?

Deloitterers feature in the awards and shortlists too.

Packages for the awards dinner at The Grosvenor from £4,500 for a table of ten (with additional benefits) down to £325 for an individual ticket, both exclusive of VAT. Would be interesting to see the guest list – and who pays!