Let’s take some time to focus on the NHS inquiry…
The NHS is an incredible organisation. One of its main missions is to improve the health and wellbeing of patients, communities and its staff through professionalism, innovation and excellence in care.
And most of the time this is exactly what happens – outstanding provision of care for those who need it most.
But what happens when something goes wrong?
The NHS inquiry
When something goes wrong with the care provided by any NHS funded service, an NHS inquiry is undertaken to investigate what happened, hold people to account, learn from any mistakes and provide an opportunity for catharsis and reconciliation for those involved.
It’s been just over fifty years since what most people consider as the very first NHS inquiry took place. An inquiry was set up in 1967 to investigate allegations of ill-treatment, the abuse of patients and theft by staff at the long-stay psychiatric Ely Hospital in Cardiff.
The impact of inquiries
The results of some inquiries have had a major impact on the NHS, how it operates and the rules and regulations that it adheres to:
- In 2000 the inquiry into the removal, retention and disposal of human tissue and organs from children after death at the Royal Liverpool Children’s Hospital (Alder Hey) led to major changes to NHS/university structures, coroners’ role and function, consent arrangements and wider systems for dealing with the bereaved.
- The Bristol inquiry into the management of the care of children receiving complex cardiac surgical services at the Bristol Royal Infirmary between 1984 and 1995 in 2001 led to the creation of the Commission for Health Improvement, and contributed to the development of clinical governance in the NHS.
- After GP Harold Shipman was convicted in Jan 2000 of murdering 15 patients, the subsequent inquiry in 2005 drove fundamental reforms to health professions regulation.
What does an NHS inquiry look like?
They really do cover the full spectrum, depending on what the inquiry is about. This can range, for example, from just a small scale internal investigation in an NHS trust carried out by a panel of executive and non-executive directors right through to a full-scale statutory public inquiry chaired by an eminent lawyer with a panel of experts, equipped with huge legal and other resources, which reports to the Secretary of State and to Parliament.
Just this week one of these larger-sized inquiries has opened into what has been called the worst treatment disaster in NHS history. The public inquiry into how more than 120 pupils at Treloar’s College, a school for disabled children, were given treatment for haemophilia from 1974 to 1987, of which at least 72 children died after being given a drug contaminated with HIV and viral hepatitis.
There are already calls for a public inquiry into the handling of the pandemic to begin… so no doubt that will be on the horizon in the near future.
The role of transcription
Transcribing interviews for NHS inquiries is an area that Fiona Shipley has vast experience in. Much of our work in this field is highly sensitive and confidential, but we have been mentioned in the public domain regarding an independent Inquiry into Histopathology Services at University Hospitals Bristol with a quote here:
“We are also grateful to the Fiona Shipley Transcribing Service, in particular Fiona and Lesley, for their indefatigable and good-humoured support in recording and transcribing the evidence for us. Their presence was unobtrusive but reassuring, and the accuracy of their transcribing was impressive.”
We understand that our NHS clients need to know they’re dealing with a transcription service that not only does an excellent job, but handles all the material with sensitivity, empathy and where appropriate, total confidentiality.
To find out more about all our transcription services, please contact us on 01737 852 225 or email alex@fionashipley.com.