The Value of Life

 

 

 

Let’s compare the cost of remedying a risk to life with other expenditure by Southern Health.

 

 

 

 

£5,000,000?

The amount received by firms owned by acquaintances of Southern Health’s former Chief Executive, Katrina Percy, despite winning a contract valued at less than £300,000. Another was paid more than £500,000 without bidding at all. All this spent on Management Development Support, including the ludicrously named ‘Going Viral.’

The trust said it took its financial responsibilities, “Very seriously“. Read more here→ and here→.

Can this possibly be the same Trust found ‘guilty’ at the end of 2015 of a 4-year failure of leadership and governance identified in the Mazars ‘Death’ Review? Surely not!

£1,520,000?¹

The cost of employing the top-five earning directors in 2015-16, including salaries, fees, taxable benefits and pension-related benefits:

• Katrina Percy, Chief Executive Officer
• Chris Gordon, Chief Operating Officer
• Dr Lesley Stevens, Medical Director 
• Mark Morgan Director, Mental Health, LD and Social Care²
• Sandra Grant (Director of People & Communications)

£1,489,000?¹

Cash Equivalent Transfer Value of Dr Chris ‘Lapdog’ Gordon’s Pension Benefits at 31 March 2016.

 

£1,335,000?¹

The cost of employing the top-five earning directors in 2014-15 including salaries, fees, taxable benefits and pension-related benefits:

• Katrina Percy, Chief Executive Officer
• Chris Gordon, Chief Operating Officer
• Sandra Grant, Director of People & Communications
• Della Warren, Interim Director of Nursing & Allied Health Professionals²
• Mark Brooks, Chief Finance Officer

£987,000?¹

Cash Equivalent Transfer Value of Dr Mystic Meg Lesley Stevens’s Pension Benefits at 31 March 2016.

 

 

£711,000?¹

Cash Equivalent Transfer Value of Sandra Grant’s Pension Benefits at 31 March 2016: still holding herself out here as a Southern Health Director.

 

 

£521,000?¹

Cash Equivalent Transfer Value of Katrina Percy’s Pension Benefits at 31 March 2016.

 

 

£300,000?

Estimated cost of safety improvements required to prevent patients falling off the roof at Southern Health’s Melbury Lodge unit. Apparently unaffordable at the time!

£170,000 – £180,000?¹

Payment to Katrina Percy on her resignation! Despite the findings of the Mazars ‘Death’ Review and other compelling evidence, she was considered, “Fit to lead” with:

“No evidence of negligence or incompetence on her as an individual during her time with the Trust that would warrant her dismissal.”

 

Deemed by all parties, inter alia by HM Treasury and The Department of Health as:

“Fair payment in all the circumstances”¹

Fair Payment – Oh really? £45,000 more than the penalty for risking life!

£161,000?

At Basingstoke Magistrates Court this week, Southern Health was fined £125,000, having pleaded guilty to failing to provide safe care and treatment and failing to assess risk to patients at Melbury Lodge. It was also ordered to pay £36,000 in costs and a £170 victim surcharge.

A patient had fallen off the roof with life-changing consequences yet Southern Health blamed the public spending ‘squeeze’ for its failure to stop vulnerable patients from gaining access to the rooftop.

District Judge Loraine Morgan said:

“It’s a significant concern that even this tragic incident involving AB did not result in immediate steps to prevent any further incident.

“Works were not carried out because money was not available.

“If £300,000 had been spent in a timely manner by the trust, not only could this prosecution have been avoided as would the loss to AB and his family.”

Read more here→.

Money not available your Honour?

£5 million spent on questionable Leadership Training; large pay & benefits awards to ‘fat-cats’; huge sums spent on Consultants and Solicitors’ fees (often to defend the indefensible), yet £300,000 not available to safeguard patients from risk of serious injury or death.

 

And it’s all the fault of government spending pressures! Of course it is!

¹ Source: Southern Health Annuals Report & Accounts 2015-16

² Supplied to the Trust via an external company so only the gross supply cost incurred is know to the Trust.¹