NNCCG Progress Update: 10th November 2013

Following a meeting yesterday with NNCCG, it's time to reflect on progress. While some gains have been made, there is still a lot to do. The NNCCG had received a response from NCEDS following my questions on the “care co-ordination role.” As expected the answers were evasive and vague and, in some cases, showed how incompetent the service was.

The meeting highlighted that things need to progress with more haste from herein, partly because there may be some areas which are time-limited. While progress in some areas has been reasonable, slow responses from NCEDS and the UEA Medical Service suggest that we now need to accelerate our involvement in the complaints process. The NHS procedure is not likely to be successful, and will make little difference. Our efforts need to be more diverse.

Regarding Primary Care, our progress is as follows:

1. Approximately 10 letters to the UEA medical services requesting information (less than half of which have received satisfactory replies).
2. Work with NNCCG to complete two tables of information from UEAMS, firstly on medical care and examinations and secondly on communications. These highlighted a complete lack of care for Averil and lack of communication with NCEDS.

With regards to Secondary Care:

1. Questions to NCEDS via NNCCG regarding care co-ordination which have been partly responded to as above
2. Agreement with NNCCG to submit a timetable in the next few days with outline areas for questions to be submitted to NCEDS / CPFT. This timetable will be agreed between Mark Taylor chief exec’ of NNCCG and Damyn x , chief exec of CPFT prior to our submissions. The questions will be derived from the existing submissions gap analysis of the SI report as well as new questions arising from their answers.

Other Agencies and NHS complaints procedures

1. I had a meeting with BEAT chief exec, Susan Ringwood in Norwich, she said she would help contact Charlotte Robinson’s family to see if they could be of assistance.
2. MARSIPAN meeting and discussions with the chair, Paul Robinson with a case study produced of Averil’s care in the next MARSIPAN report to be released in late 2013.
3. Calls and emails to “The Patients Association”, with a case study of Averil’s care in the annual report to be released in November (This to go to the national press including various medical editors).
4. Discussion with Norfolk Coroner’s office and emails, which although sympathetic outlined that any case would have to go to the Cambridge Coroner.
5. Cambridge Coroner’s office. Diane Collier of NNCCG has contacted the Cambridge office on my behalf, they have a record for Averil and we may be in a position to get a inquest, although certain factors could make this difficult.
6. Legal. Cleo has sent through a case which may be relevant to us. It is Rabone v Pennine Care NHS trust. This details the lack of care afforded to a young person and the judgement resulting from the court case. We may wish to consider this route given the outcome and also the 12 month time constraints on legal proceedings.
7. Contact with AvMA. They are a medical negligence charity who I contacted with details of Averils case. They replied in general terms and may be of further assistance to us if we are unable to get further resolution elsewhere.
8. NHS England. This is complaints body for primary care. We can approach them with a complaint for Primary care, only if we have not complained directly to the primary care UEAMS (which we haven’t yet). I have contacted them and informed them that we will be filing a complaint about UEAMS in the next few days.