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Safeguarding might be the buzzword, but the core of a growing movement towards healthcare accountability has always been the care of sick children and the families who feel like their opinions have been dismissed.
Several parents raised concerns about the use of safeguarding processes - relating to the care of their children - in an anonymous letter earlier this year.
A second letter has now been published by the group who argue that the focus has shifted from acknowledging the experience of families to “covering one’s back”.
In this article we look at the story to date, the publication of the most recent letter, and the experiences of one parent who told Express their story.
In September deputies debated the outcome of an abuse of parliamentary privileges panel. The panel cleared Deputy Gavin St Pier of any wrongdoing after he named a local doctor in an earlier debate.
Deputy St Pier had been attempting to convince States members to debate an annual report on the regulation and revalidation of doctors. He used a personal experience of failed care, for which his family lodged a complaint against the MSG, to make his case.
The September debate was a heated one, with Deputy Lester Queripel calling it the worst debate he’s ever been a part of.
And it’s this debate, coupled with an unpublished report, that has led to the authors of the first letter writing again, this time to deputies.
The September debate came at a time when several parents had published an open, anonymous letter complaining about the island’s safeguarding services.
It was shared in tandem with a Learning Report commissioned in April 2021 by the Responsible Officer, Dr Peter Rabey, following concerns with the use of safeguarding processes in Guernsey.
It’s understood that the parents at the centre of the Learning Report are happy for it to be published, but it never has been. Deputy St Pier has also called on HSC to publish the report.
Pictured: Several recommendations fell out of the Learning Report.
In his most recent comment on the Learning Report, the President of HSC, Deputy Al Brouard, said:
“It is a working document for the professionals and families concerned and as we have stated previously it was never intended for general publication.
“Patient confidentiality is a fundamental principle in health and social care for both children and adults who access our services. HSC has a duty to safeguard those interests in a small community and it takes this responsibility very seriously. Therefore the Committee by majority has to date decided against publishing the learning report. The concerns of the families have been investigated and acted upon, and the report has of course been shared with them.”
In a new letter to all deputies, the parents said:
“HSC still refuses to publish the learning report which we refer to, hiding behind confidentiality when it could clearly be published in a retracted form. Once again, we call upon HSC to publish this report...
“Incidentally, there is also a second report in existence which the families have never been allowed access to which included “words of advice” for Dr Sandie Bohin [the named doctor at the centre of Deputy St Pier’s ‘abuse of parliamentary privilege’].
“Together with these report(s) are the hours of meetings our families have had with safeguarding professionals to discuss the findings, findings which clearly showed the safeguarding structure, culture and processes in Guernsey were dangerously inadequate and wide open to abuse.
“Many recommendations were made to improve safeguarding in this learning report and in a report produced some six years earlier when the St Piers found themselves in the same situation as our families. If those recommendations had been acted upon all those years ago, we – and others - would not have had to go through the ‘real trauma’ of the safeguarding process.”
Commenting on the acrimonious debate earlier this year, the parent group said they couldn’t stay silent on some of the issues raised.
“Deputy St Pier has continued to raise serious concerns outlined by both the families and safeguarding professionals, resulting in the naming of Dr Bohin in the States Chamber. In speaking up for our families and others, Deputy St Pier has been accused of pursuing a personal vendetta.
“Our very own Chief Minister, Deputy Peter Ferbrache, felt it appropriate to spend his precious time as our island’s leading politician writing a 31-page review into the naming of Dr Bohin in the States Chamber.
“What’s more, he took the time to meet with her over coffee and biscuits with Deputies McKenna and Meerveld. We ask, whose actions truly evidence a personal vendetta? At this coffee meeting, Deputy Ferbrache was provided with fabricated mistruths by Dr Bohin regarding Deputy St Pier’s motivation in naming her...
“Rather than listening to the parents involved and taking a balanced view, they are happy to rely on hearsay and gossip. At no point during the political football that this matter has become has our Chief Minister - or any other States member with an opinion on this matter (of which there were many) - considered it appropriate to meet with us, the families who have been traumatised by this process. Where was our cosy coffee meeting with the island’s most senior politician? Where was our chance to air concerns and discuss the trauma wreaked on our families?”
The letter ends with the families pulling the focus back to their families, their sick children and the fight they’ve had with the system.
“We are families dealing with very sick children, searching for answers and appropriate treatments. Instead of being assisted and supported by the local medical profession, we faced accusations that we were abusing our children, resulting in investigations taking place over a ‘prolonged period’.
“We faced every parent’s worst nightmare, the prospect of losing our own children. We had to fight the bias and bullying behaviour of one doctor whilst holding down jobs, advocating for our sick children and looking after their siblings. No wonder we continue to be traumatised...
“The MSG and HSC jointly sign the States policy G107 entitled 'Dealing with complaints' and commit to this biannually. The policy states not only once, but twice, that 'trends are identified and acted upon'.
“There remains absolutely no evidence that this policy is being implemented and our children have been the victims, their childhoods irretrievably damaged by these failures in the system. This must stop now, before more children are made to suffer.”
The overarching theme of the most recent letter is a perceived lack of acknowledgment for the difficult path these families have been forced down.
Express spoke to one parent who was happy to share their own experiences of the complaint process and issues with what they see as an inappropriate use of the safeguarding process in Guernsey.
“My child was born... early and had quite a few complications,” said the parent, whose identify Express will keep anonymised.
The parent disagreed with the diagnosis of their child's illness and the treatment plan for it. Their experience led to a formally submitted complaint.
“We rang up MSG and were told to write the complaint and give it to [our doctor]. So we read it, documented it all, and nothing happened.
“You've got a miserable child who's going through hell. No one's listening. No one's offering any support.
“My heart is just breaking - no [parent] should have to put their child through this. It was just horrendous. And that spurred us on and we said ’right’ we've got to submit another complaint.
"We went to HSC and we lodged a complaint with them instead. [We then] got a phone call from MASH to say that we'd been referred to the child safeguarding service.”
Despite being referred, the parent said they passed through the process quickly and no issues were identified. Their child has since recovered.
“You know, seeing my [child] happy and healthy is more than we could have ever asked for.
“We're not after anything, but... a part of me wants an apology for what they put us through because it's really affected my mental health.
“But I know I'm never going to get an apology for what's happened.”
In response to the most recent letter, the Chair of the MSG said “safeguarding is a top priority for our dedicated paediatric consultants”.
“The Medical Specialist Group is regulated by the General Medical Council (GMC) in the same way as UK doctors, and we have safeguarding processes in place that are agreed with the Multi-Agency Support Hub (MASH) and the Committee for Health and Social Care (HSC),” said Dr Steve Evans.
“We take every complaint seriously and investigate them thoroughly with the support of HSC. We guarantee that seeking a second opinion will never impact patient care. Our team welcomes the opportunity to learn and develop as specialists so that we can provide the best care possible.
“Our paediatric service and all other services we provide are next scheduled for review in 2024 in line with the regular process, which takes place every five years by an independent body."
Pictured: Dr Steve Evans.
Meanwhile, HSC said it is discussing the “various concerns and requests raised in debate, as well as subsequent media coverage and letters received, both openly and directly. As a matter of courtesy these letters will be responded to first before communicating publicly any next steps”.
"No one should belie the traumatic experiences the families have described,” said Deputy Broaurd.
“These are serious issues and they need and have been examined in a professional and caring manner...
"We met with some of the families in November 2022 and my Committee gave an undertaking to progress the recommendations of the learning report as a priority. It was agreed that a family representative would be part of a Task and Finish Group established to progress the recommendations of the report, in order for their experiences to inform future practice. This work has been progressing well, with many of the recommendations having been completed and the final few recommendations ongoing.
"While HSC has, in agreement with the families, resolved to work closely with them to deliver the recommendations, we also need to focus on minimising further harm to our important safeguarding services and to move forward in a productive way as agreed between us and the families. Our professional services are seeking pathways to ensure children are at the centre and their safeguarding, which is so important, is paramount.
"The Committee was able to meet this week to discuss the matters raised during the States debate on the privileges report. This meeting had, regrettably, not been able to take place any sooner due to staff and Members’ availability and it was imperative that all relevant people were in attendance.”
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