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16
Mar 2021
Hospital probe warning over ‘witness intimidation’ at Southern Health trust
A warning has been issued by the chairman of a panel investigating Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust over attempts to intimidate witnesses giving evidence over patient deaths.
The trust is being investigated after failures in its care of five patients who died in the four years between 2011 and 2015.
Nigel Pascoe QC said attempts to “dissuade” a witness from providing evidence could amount to an “attempt to pervert the course of justice.”
The investigation found “serious and deeply regrettable failures” by Southern Health, one of the biggest psychiatric trusts in England.
Mr Pascoe said “Any attempts by any person, anywhere, to dissuade a witness from giving evidence, in criminal or civil proceedings, may amount to an attempt to pervert the course of justice.”
Giving evidence, Dr David Hicks, chairman of Southern Health’s quality and safety committee, said the trust’s complaints handling system was “very inclusive” and “very patient centred.”
He added “I would say that it’s getting better. It’s about to be revised. There are some elements of it which do need improvement.”
The inquiry heard there were 106 complaints and 324 concerns relating to clinical care in 2019/20. There were also a further 28 complaints and 200 concerns to the trust over communication, and 20 complaints and 128 concerns relating to staff attitude.
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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.
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