The Mystery letter
Attended the Newcastle Employment Tribunal today with Yunus Bakhsh, a mental health Nurse unfairly dismissed by his Employer who were then ordered to reinstate him.
They then refused to reinstate him and left him financially in massive debt - after a massive campaign where he has been supported by lots of people including Jon McDonnell and others.
A QC called John Hendy then offered to help him and Louise Christian issued proceedings for Judicial Review against the Tyne & Wear Northumberland Newcastle and North Tyneside Mental Health Trust which will be heard in November.
Massive amount of public money has been spent on this Scandal.
Today, Yunus was trying to apply for his Costs but first hurdle was being allowed to apply out of time.
But first his employers, tried to introduce a 'Mystery letter' Sent I kid you not, allegedly, by a 'Well Wisher' allegedly to a Trust Board member supposedly warning him off giving evidence to the High Court.
The letter had allegedly been sent last Friday and the implication was that Yunus had received the documents from his Solicitors and after receiving these which included one by this man Ken Grey, had allegedly written this letter.
Unfortunately for them Yunus did not receive the Documents until Saturday AFTER the letter had allegedly been received by Mr Grey, who is also a Magistrate.
Strangely perhaps, Magistrate Mr Grey as far as we are aware made no complaint of this alleged attempt at Witness intimidation.
Of course it is obvious now this was sent by someone on the Trust side trying to bad mouth Yunus and so instead of him committing a criminal offence one of them has!
After a contested hearing which included the Trust having two Partners in the firm of Ward Hadaway sitting behind a London Counsel doing nothing but costing a lot whilst in these proceedings, Yunus was represented by a small Gateshead firm Swinburne and Jackson and a Warrington Barrister.
The hearing took virtually all of the day and Yunus won.
This has probably cost somewhere in the region of £500k from NHS patient money in Costs.
The whole charade has cost much money; emotional trauma for Yunus and all around him.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Monday, January 09, 2012
I Support the Spartacus Report
So today, after months of work and planning we launch our Report
We did everything possible to engage with politicians, lobbying MPs and Peers, writing articles, attending conferences, but at every turn we were brushed aside.
Despite serious concerns from campaigners, charities and disabled people themselves, the Government's the recent Impact Assessment (October 2011) into the proposed reform of Disability Living Allowance is almost identical to the original. Nothing has changed, almost none of our concerns have been addressed and as the House of Lords return to vote on the final stages of the welfare reform bill, we felt that it was vital we presented our own evidence.
This is the Spartacus Report. We all own it, we all created it. It is yours, use it in any way you wish. Please join in the campaign online today if you aren't already signed up:
Tweeting using the hashtag #spartacusreport "I support the #spartacus report"
Change Facebook status to "I support the Spartacus Report"
Email your MP with the links to the report and the press release using this short covering letter :
“This report into Disability Allowance Reform has been written, researched and funded by disabled people. As one of your constituents, I am very concerned by its findings and the misrepresentation of disabled people that it exposes.
Please will you read the report and support sick and disabled people in calling for a pause to Personal Independence Payments in light of this new research.
I look forward to your response,”
Finally, please keep checking the blog all day as we will be updating regularly with very exciting updates ;)
Our report shows that :
-The Government broke its own code of consultation over the DLA reform
-The Government has entirely misrepresented the views submitted as part of the consultation, giving a partial and biased view.
-The Government claim that DLA must be reformed as claims has risen 30% in 8 years - we find that these statistics are entirely misleading and give a "distorted view"
-There is overwhelming opposition to the new benefit, Personal Independence Payments
-Some elements of PIP appear to already be going ahead, despite a rejection of the plans and before legislation has passed.
-The Government are repeatedly warned that proposals for PIP may break International and UK equality and Human Rights legislation
This is our chance to be heard. This is our chance to put evidence in the public domain from our own perspective. Today, a courier will take 31 boxes or reports, all hand stuffed into envelopes and addressed and deliver them to every peer and every MP and all of the people who responded to the consultation.
We did it. I had no idea if we could when we started, but we did it.
From today, Government may of course continue to ignore us. But they can never say they didn't know what they were doing.
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Friday, December 30, 2011
Cancer and Depression
This has been a really hard day.
8.56 woman rings to say she cannot cope with her seriously ill husband who I can hear shouting in the background - he is not yet in remission with his cancer but is afraid she is going to leave him.
9.05 I am in the car.
9.20 she rings me again to say he has gone 'missing' and apparently did so on Boxing Day.
9.25 rings the Police after I calm her down(don't worry I am not driving).
9.30 Police ring back - sending someone to the house.
10.05 - made 40 miles on windy roads in less than an hour.
10.06 - begin searching the village and the woods.
12.05 - Police arrived.
We find him. I have 3 mile walk back to the House.
12.40 - return to the house. Policeman is being really good - they had found him and sort of encouraged him to return home so he walks ahead of them.
12.50 Colleague talks to him. I talk to the Wife.
He is afraid she will leave him because he is so ill.
Positive reinforcement given to both.
Finally at 3.15 mental health services turn up.
By this time we have had an agreement from him that he will not disappear without telling people where he is going; he will not frighten his wife by saying he will end it and we have managed to get them to interact with each other(hugging to you and me) after months of lack of contact.
They(ie Statutories) are not sure of our 'status' (FMR!) - have discussion when it rapidly becomes obvious we have intervened and saved an awful situation getting worse - leave them to make an appointment and then mad hare it back home to meet the Grandkids!
So get home - I cook Spag bog from nothing(my sauce is worth dying for includes Courgettes, Carrots, Celery and Mushrooms, Mince, Herbs and Garlic not forgetting the Onions!) - feed the kids feed us - bath the kids - put them to bed and then we both slump! Wonder why?
This has been a really hard day.
8.56 woman rings to say she cannot cope with her seriously ill husband who I can hear shouting in the background - he is not yet in remission with his cancer but is afraid she is going to leave him.
9.05 I am in the car.
9.20 she rings me again to say he has gone 'missing' and apparently did so on Boxing Day.
9.25 rings the Police after I calm her down(don't worry I am not driving).
9.30 Police ring back - sending someone to the house.
10.05 - made 40 miles on windy roads in less than an hour.
10.06 - begin searching the village and the woods.
12.05 - Police arrived.
We find him. I have 3 mile walk back to the House.
12.40 - return to the house. Policeman is being really good - they had found him and sort of encouraged him to return home so he walks ahead of them.
12.50 Colleague talks to him. I talk to the Wife.
He is afraid she will leave him because he is so ill.
Positive reinforcement given to both.
Finally at 3.15 mental health services turn up.
By this time we have had an agreement from him that he will not disappear without telling people where he is going; he will not frighten his wife by saying he will end it and we have managed to get them to interact with each other(hugging to you and me) after months of lack of contact.
They(ie Statutories) are not sure of our 'status' (FMR!) - have discussion when it rapidly becomes obvious we have intervened and saved an awful situation getting worse - leave them to make an appointment and then mad hare it back home to meet the Grandkids!
So get home - I cook Spag bog from nothing(my sauce is worth dying for includes Courgettes, Carrots, Celery and Mushrooms, Mince, Herbs and Garlic not forgetting the Onions!) - feed the kids feed us - bath the kids - put them to bed and then we both slump! Wonder why?
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Whistle Blowing. Super Injunctions and Parliament.
I do quite a lot of whistleblowing cases. I think the attitudes of the NHS Trusts is best shown up by the Lawyers they employ who advise them cynically as to how they can avoid responsibility.
Patient care and protection of junior members of staff is shockingly absent from the attitudes of the unelected members of Trust Boards.
I recently represented a female PA who tried to point out the ridiculous situation she found herself in with a too large caseload which was never covered when she went away of holiday or when she was off sick. She was afraid for the safety of patients given she was PA to a Senior Consultant/Head of Surgery.
They did nothing to address her concerns.
She went off sick unexpectedly.
Her Manager made an excuse to search her desk, 'found some uncompleted work' (filing) and then had her subjected to disciplinary proceedings.
She made it plain from the outset she wanted this woman sacked.
Her husband contacted me due to my having helped him with a super injunction granted against him for trying to WB about toxicity in the water tanks of Cruise liners which he found when he was inspecting the Paint in the Tanks.
I had his case raised in Parliament by John Hemmings and there was a story recently in the Sunday Times.
I found they were out to get her and so I went after them; represented her in the disciplinary proceedings which were a farce - had her case thrown out.
She returned to work and then 2 days later; they informed her she would have to be moved anyway because she made her Consultant uncomfortable.
This could have amounted to the end but we filed an IT1 for WB and eventually just lost in the EAT - all the way through the Trust and their lawyers tried everything to have the case thrown out even directly misleading the Tribunal; complaining about me to the Information Commissioners and the Tribunal Regulators and even threatening me with the Police!
We very nearly won and the sad thing is we only lost through the other side cheating but such is the 'plight' of WBs in the NHS. The Solicitors attitude was 'she is only a Secretary and we can move her whenever the management wanted to'. All of this took a couple of years to resolve.
They tried to have the case struck out 9 times; failing everytime and lying to the Tribunal and conducting the most foul personal attacks on me.
I was shocked by the whole situation people find themselves in.
But I did something about it and at least the person kept her job.
'Revolving Doors' - working to close them, permanently!
Back to work today doing a session at a Private mental health resources - saw 14 patients in under 2 hours! Busy!
I do regular drop in sessions where I work with the Clients/Patients to identify how best I can work with them and add to the work done by their Clinical MDT(multi-disciplinary team) to work towards their rehabilitation.
We work together; identifying the initial issues around housing; finance; debts; benefits and then over the next weeks/months work to resolve those issues so that as the Clients become more 'well' they will be in a better position to consider or be considered in a position to move back into the Community and have a chance of succeeding rather than having 'pressures' external to their mental health 'intruding' on their recovery.
Fascinating and positive advocacy which practically impacts on the Clients and which is giving many Clients who previously despite best efforts of all concerned, often bounced back into hospital having not had this restorative person centred work done with them. We want 'no returns' rather than 'Revolving Doors' patients.
We do sessions like this in different hospitals in different locations and they seem very successful to date!
Often we address many of these issues because the Clients have been difficult previously to reach and this intensive person centred approach puts them at the 'heart' of the work and not merely the 'recipient' passively of 'treatment'.
After the initial work, on a weekly basis often I am now simply doing 'catch or follow up' work.
And week to week it is great to see people becoming more 'well' as time passes and good to be accepted by the Clinical team as having a 'valid' and 'therapeutic' role!
In addition to the practical tasks, we develop strong relationships with the Clients which gives them someone independent from outside the hospital to talk to and trust.
Back to work today doing a session at a Private mental health resources - saw 14 patients in under 2 hours! Busy!
I do regular drop in sessions where I work with the Clients/Patients to identify how best I can work with them and add to the work done by their Clinical MDT(multi-disciplinary team) to work towards their rehabilitation.
We work together; identifying the initial issues around housing; finance; debts; benefits and then over the next weeks/months work to resolve those issues so that as the Clients become more 'well' they will be in a better position to consider or be considered in a position to move back into the Community and have a chance of succeeding rather than having 'pressures' external to their mental health 'intruding' on their recovery.
Fascinating and positive advocacy which practically impacts on the Clients and which is giving many Clients who previously despite best efforts of all concerned, often bounced back into hospital having not had this restorative person centred work done with them. We want 'no returns' rather than 'Revolving Doors' patients.
We do sessions like this in different hospitals in different locations and they seem very successful to date!
Often we address many of these issues because the Clients have been difficult previously to reach and this intensive person centred approach puts them at the 'heart' of the work and not merely the 'recipient' passively of 'treatment'.
After the initial work, on a weekly basis often I am now simply doing 'catch or follow up' work.
And week to week it is great to see people becoming more 'well' as time passes and good to be accepted by the Clinical team as having a 'valid' and 'therapeutic' role!
In addition to the practical tasks, we develop strong relationships with the Clients which gives them someone independent from outside the hospital to talk to and trust.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Increased suicide Rates in the Recession
It is an inconvenient truth that the government has failed to address and the media have barely covered: the number of people killing themselves is back on the rise.
In 2008 over 5,700 people killed themselves in the UK, an average of almost 16 deliberate deaths a day.
After close to a decade of annual declines, recession triggered a sharp rise in suicides. Recent figures published in medical journals show that the UK suicide rate increased 8% between 2007 and 2009. The latest Office for National Statistics figures suggest a similar rise.
The problem is predominantly and also historically a male one, with three times as many men killing themselves as women. It is also a trend not confined to the UK. Suicide rates have risen across Europe since 2008, with Greece, in particular, experiencing staggering increases. 2010 saw a 25% rise in suicide, according to the Greek parliament. It takes no genius to realise given Greece's current economic woes that there is a definite link.
In October, the country's health minister warned that early signs suggest a further 40% jump in 2011.
There myst be fears of a decade of unusually high suicide rates. There is clear evidence about suicide and economic recession being related .
It is the instability of recession that creates this link. No one should be surprised that factors such as unemployment and job insecurity can push people who may be already vulnerable to take their own lives. Life events like redundancy, bankruptcy and the relationship breakdowns that often follow can create bouts of mental illness.
Redundancy can bring about loss of identity and pride and lead to mental illness. Employment often 'defines' people and loss of it can cause severe trauma.
Symptoms can be weight loss; sleep deprivation and development of a belief that life isn't worth living.
People need listening without judgment, challenging negative assumptions and helping to create optimism for the future. But with the UK's economic future looking ever bleaker after the chancellor downgraded growth and announced six more years of cuts, how will charities/organisations that provide such support cope?
At a time when we would reasonably expect there to be an increase in demand for mental health support, we are seeing cuts to services across the board. With stretched services already seeing people "fall through the cracks", my fears is the "fault" lines can only widen.
I believe the key is to learn from the past and, in particular, start tackling people's access to the means of suicide. In the 1950s, death by domestic gas accounted for around half of all suicides. But throughout the 1960s, the introduction of non-toxic gas into British kitchens saw thousands of lives saved.
It's as if when people consider suicide they think about doing it in a particular way.
If you remove a culturally common method, there isn't an immediate substitution and it tends to reduce overall suicide. If paracetamol was only available in blister packs, making impulsive overdosing more difficult, or mental health clinics removed features that could potentially be used for hanging, the impact on suicide rates could be huge.
As the Voluntary/Third sector struggles to offset the rising suicide rate with diminishing resources, the government has remained alarmingly silent, having made no major announcement about how to confront this issue.
The suicide prevention strategy for England, which is due to be published in early 2012, may change that.
If not, there is no guarantee that support services provided by people like MIND, Rethink and Advocacy Services like ours will continue to exist.
It is an inconvenient truth that the government has failed to address and the media have barely covered: the number of people killing themselves is back on the rise.
In 2008 over 5,700 people killed themselves in the UK, an average of almost 16 deliberate deaths a day.
After close to a decade of annual declines, recession triggered a sharp rise in suicides. Recent figures published in medical journals show that the UK suicide rate increased 8% between 2007 and 2009. The latest Office for National Statistics figures suggest a similar rise.
The problem is predominantly and also historically a male one, with three times as many men killing themselves as women. It is also a trend not confined to the UK. Suicide rates have risen across Europe since 2008, with Greece, in particular, experiencing staggering increases. 2010 saw a 25% rise in suicide, according to the Greek parliament. It takes no genius to realise given Greece's current economic woes that there is a definite link.
In October, the country's health minister warned that early signs suggest a further 40% jump in 2011.
There myst be fears of a decade of unusually high suicide rates. There is clear evidence about suicide and economic recession being related .
It is the instability of recession that creates this link. No one should be surprised that factors such as unemployment and job insecurity can push people who may be already vulnerable to take their own lives. Life events like redundancy, bankruptcy and the relationship breakdowns that often follow can create bouts of mental illness.
Redundancy can bring about loss of identity and pride and lead to mental illness. Employment often 'defines' people and loss of it can cause severe trauma.
Symptoms can be weight loss; sleep deprivation and development of a belief that life isn't worth living.
People need listening without judgment, challenging negative assumptions and helping to create optimism for the future. But with the UK's economic future looking ever bleaker after the chancellor downgraded growth and announced six more years of cuts, how will charities/organisations that provide such support cope?
At a time when we would reasonably expect there to be an increase in demand for mental health support, we are seeing cuts to services across the board. With stretched services already seeing people "fall through the cracks", my fears is the "fault" lines can only widen.
I believe the key is to learn from the past and, in particular, start tackling people's access to the means of suicide. In the 1950s, death by domestic gas accounted for around half of all suicides. But throughout the 1960s, the introduction of non-toxic gas into British kitchens saw thousands of lives saved.
It's as if when people consider suicide they think about doing it in a particular way.
If you remove a culturally common method, there isn't an immediate substitution and it tends to reduce overall suicide. If paracetamol was only available in blister packs, making impulsive overdosing more difficult, or mental health clinics removed features that could potentially be used for hanging, the impact on suicide rates could be huge.
As the Voluntary/Third sector struggles to offset the rising suicide rate with diminishing resources, the government has remained alarmingly silent, having made no major announcement about how to confront this issue.
The suicide prevention strategy for England, which is due to be published in early 2012, may change that.
If not, there is no guarantee that support services provided by people like MIND, Rethink and Advocacy Services like ours will continue to exist.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Lovely Christmas!
Remembered to call up Clients on Christmas Day then down to see the Grandkids at Whitley Bay - handed over their presents then back to her Mam; handed over presents then home.
I cooked a rather nice Christmas meal of Melon; Chicken stuffed with pork stuffing with Cranberries and sweetcorn; Brussels sprouts stir fried in butter, garlic and ginger then baked in the oven with onions and smoked choritzo; my special roasties; carrot and suede mash with my special gravy and fresh Cranberry sauce. Followed by Trifle.
Of course Pink Champagne with starters; Moet with main course and Pink with the pud!
Then our normal chill out in front of the TV!
Rather nice!
Remembered to call up Clients on Christmas Day then down to see the Grandkids at Whitley Bay - handed over their presents then back to her Mam; handed over presents then home.
I cooked a rather nice Christmas meal of Melon; Chicken stuffed with pork stuffing with Cranberries and sweetcorn; Brussels sprouts stir fried in butter, garlic and ginger then baked in the oven with onions and smoked choritzo; my special roasties; carrot and suede mash with my special gravy and fresh Cranberry sauce. Followed by Trifle.
Of course Pink Champagne with starters; Moet with main course and Pink with the pud!
Then our normal chill out in front of the TV!
Rather nice!
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