Peter Duffy - Whistle in the Wind: Life, Death, Detriment and Dismissal in the NHS. A Whistleblowers Story

PETER DUFFY FRCS MD

Peters love for his family and for what he does as a surgeon runs through the pages of this gripping book as he takes you on a journey to some of the darker areas of our NHS and legal system. As a society we need to face up to the appalling reality of what the NHS does to staff that speak up and how much public money it wastes fighting people that act in the public interest. Even a committed, award winning surgeon who transformed cancer services was not immune from attempts by the NHS to destroy him when he decided to stand up for patients and services. This is everyones problem.

Dr Chris Day, junior doctor and whistle-blower

Peters book should be compulsory reading for all medical undergraduates. It should also be read by individuals who work for the BMA, GMC and CQC. We should be grateful that a courageous doctor like Peter is out there. He serves to remind the rest of us of what we are here for.

Senior consultant, Nobles Hospital

An absorbing and sometimes disturbing story of an NHS whistle-blower.

Consultant surgeon and ex-colleague, NHS England

A very readable account of a consultant surgeons disturbing experience of the costs of whistleblowing. Essential reading for all in Senior Management positions in the NHS.

Senior GP, Lancaster

I had a colleague with whom I could discuss complicated patients and ask his opinion, assist with complex operations and regard as a friend. Peters relationship with staff and patients was exceptionally good. I am stopped in the street by former patients who wish him well and would love to see him back.

Mr Richard Wilson FRCS, consultant urological surgeon, NHS England

This is a chilling indictment of how the modern NHS now operates, and the Orwellian nightmare it has become. I have the utmost respect for those willing to stand up and be counted, but most of us remain too afraid to do so.

Anon

Senior consultant, Nobles Hospital

While much tremendous work is carried out by the NHS on a daily basis, when things do go wrong, there is a huge failure in acknowledging mistakes and more importantly learning from them.

In my case at the Trust Peter refers to, despite many scans and consultations over three years my cancer was not correctly diagnosed until another Trust carried out an unrelated scan. The first Trust continued to tell me everything was alright but after proving this was incorrect, I attempted to find out how so many mistakes could be made and whether other patients were similarly impacted.

What followed over almost two years were cover ups, delays, evasions, failures to produce critical documents and deliberate misinformation from the medical team right up to the highest levels of Trust management. In July 2019 I am still fighting to get a proper review of my case!

Current NHS urological surgery patient

Copyright 2019 Peter Duffy

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Dedicated to the values, commitment, professionalism and hard work of two of my most loved and valued mentors:-

Mr Bob Thomson FRCS

Consultant urological surgeon

Mr Richard Wilson FRCS

Consultant urological surgeon

To err is human, to cover up is unforgivable and to fail to learn is inexcusable

Professor Sir Liam Donaldson

Former Chief Medical Officer, England

I will always admire the fortitude and commitment of professionals such as Peter, who speak up to protect others, at great personal cost to themselves. I have been able to provide some support to Peter throughout his difficult journey, but by no means the amount that he and other whistle-blowers need and deserve. Sadly, there is much need to improve the experience of whistle-blowers in health and other sectors. Not least to ensure that individuals are properly protected from the very outset, before harm is done. While some clear in roads have been made in more recent years, the reality is that experience is still inconsistent for individuals when they raise concerns internally. We know that many whistle-blowers prevail, they are not harmed, and patients are thereby protected. However, many whistle-blowers are ignored or victimised regardless of how clear, reasonable and consistent they have been. This is inexcusable in any organisation, let alone one whose primary purpose is healthcare. Furthermore, Peters experience of litigation is one that is far too common for many whistle-blowers, where the balance of power is incredibly difficult and the ability to present your own case and evidence substantially hampered and outgunned.

We know of good work happening in the NHS, even though this did not benefit Peter. We hope that this will begin to address the inconsistencies we see in practice, by organisations learning from each other when they fail or succeed. However, individuals and organisations must be held to account when they fall short of standards and these standards must be clearly set by Government and other public bodies. In our 25 year history I have still only heard of one case where an individual was disciplined for victimising a whistle-blower, yet we hear from thousands of individuals who say they are suffering because they spoke up. This is a problem that all of society should see as their issue; we must protect those who speak up to protect us.

I hope that in telling his story it will highlight the much-needed reform of the law and the problems whistle-blowers face in accessing justice. More importantly I hope it will give some comfort to the public to know that there are so many dedicated professionals working in our beloved NHS that will speak up to protect patients, but also demonstrate how vitally important it is that when whistle-blowers speak up, they are heard and protected.

Francesca West

Chief Executive

Protect (formerly Public Concern at Work)

The Green House,

244-254 Cambridge Heath Rd,

London,

E2 9DA

Ive never written a book before. I almost certainly never will again. This manuscript is forged out of a determination to get my story told whatever the barriers, threats and obstacles put in my way. There is no fiction or exaggeration. This is how it is, was and is likely to continue to be. The cold, brutal reality of low standards, poor behaviour, laissez-faire and cover-ups that seem to be an integral part of some contemporary NHS hospital, medical and surgical practice.

My vocation and training are relatively uncontroversial. My life as a consultant surgeon is not. This account of my years of service to the populations of North Lancashire and Cumbria and my response to the allegations and accusations levelled at me will undoubtedly be both disputed and subject to forensic legal examination. As such, I have had to draw heavily upon my witness statement and evidence presented to the Manchester Employment Tribunal. The material upon which this book is based is true, structured to withstand hostile cross-examination, founded on written evidence and exhaustively cross-referenced to the legal bundle.

Exposing dangerous practice and cover-ups at the highest level in the NHS, my story reveals issues which have the potential to seriously affect public safety. As a consequence, I strongly believe that it is in the public interest that my full story is told. If this book contributes to the safeguarding of some of societys most vulnerable individuals then the time spent putting this story together will not have been wasted.