It may well be blown away in the gale of other general election issues, but Lynne Featherstone's post about the role of the local health management team in the Baby Peter affair, and about the suppression of a key report, raises very serious questions. It seems to me that the culture of competition, introduced into the health service by the Conservatives, and hardly mitigated by Labour in England, has discouraged openness. Nor is the system for protecting whistle-blowers working to the benefit of the public.
Lynne's posting also raises questions about the retention of high-quality doctors and nurses. (See also Peter Black's blog about the drain of Welsh medical talent) If Great Ormond Street, a high-profile hospital, with an international reputation, has staffing trouble, then the NHS in England is in serious trouble.
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