Savile allegations force Health Trust to tighten up on child safeguarding

At yesterday’s Trust Board meeting of the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which operates services at the Rochdale Infirmary new and improved safeguarding plans for protecting children its care were rolled out.

All NHS Trusts in England and Wales were asked in a letter from Sir David Nicholson, Chief Executive of the NHS to ensure that all trusts examine their existing policies and procedures in the wake of the allegations into the conduct of former BBC DJ, Sir Jimmy Savile.

The letter from the Sir David asks boards to, “… review…your own arrangements and practices relating to vulnerable people, particularly in relation to: safeguarding; access to patients (including that afforded volunteers or celebrities); and listening and acting on patient concerns.”

The directive was issued as a result of the activities of Savile whilst working as a volunteer at Leeds General Infirmary, Stoke Mandeville Hospital and Broadmoor where it is alleged that he had unrestricted access and unsupervised access to vulnerable patients.

The meeting was told by Medical Director Sally Bradley, that all volunteers at the Trust have to have enhanced CRB checks and no incidents of this nature had been recorded in the past two years. It was agreed that the policy would be reviewed regularly and spot-checks made to ensure compliance.

Later in the meeting, the Board heard that the Trust was now meeting all its targets on cancer but was failing to meet targets on reducing MRSA and C-Diff. It was acknowledged that pressures on A&E Departments were stretching the system with some attendances being better dealt with by other services.

Discussion on the provision of services to patients across the whole of the local NHS was also discussed.

It was also mentioned in the meeting that verbal and physical violence towards staff now accounts for over 50 per cent of all clinical incidents and that one patient had been involved in 53 separate incidents.