UNISON Calls for Independent Inquiry Following Reports of Sexual Abuse at Broadmoor Hospital

UNISON, the UK’s largest health union, today called for an independent inquiry into allegations of serious sexual abuse of female patients at Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire.

When award-winning Women’s Services Director Julia Wassell, reported to managers serious allegations of rape, indecent assault and sexual harassment of women patients, she was stalled, victimised and subsequently lost her job. She claimed constructive dismissal and the hospital has just settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.

In March 2001 Julia brought a series of serious sexual abuse complaints by women to the attention of her senior managers under the hospital’s whistle-blowing policy. Some of the alleged incidents occurred during Patient Council meetings where male and female patients were unsupervised. After these incidents several women had requested pregnancy tests and one woman reported rape and indecent assault.

In May Julia was invited by women patients to a meeting about their safety. They repeated the allegations and Julia recommended to management an immediate stop to all mixed activities pending an inquiry.

Months went by and Julia became concerned that her complaints were not being treated seriously or dealt with quickly enough, leaving women vulnerable to further abuse. In fact another case of sexual harassment led one patient to attempt suicide in July 2001.

The management response to Julia’s complaints was aggressive and led to a string of petty disciplinary issues. She eventually resigned from her post in April 2002 claiming constructive dismissal.

Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON said:

“It is hard to listen to the details of this case and not be shocked. Shocked by the attitude of managers to the women in their care and shocked at the treatment meted out to Julia for raising her concerns. M/F

..2.. “There is no doubt that Julia was a high flyer in the NHS and a very promising career was cut short because she blew the whistle on unsafe practices at the hospital. What sort of message does this send out to other NHS staff who feel that patients are at risk in some way?

“We want to promote a culture in the NHS which welcomes the whistleblower, not one that ostracises them. The whole purpose of the Public Interest Disclosure Act and clinical governance post- Bristol, was to encourage employers and employees to work together openly to uncover wrongdoing. The NHS cannot afford to lose good managers and I believe that Julia is owed an apology.

“I understand that all mixed gender activities ceased just days after Julia handed in her resignation, but a lot of damage has already been done and that cannot be brushed under the carpet, which is why UNISON is calling for a full independent inquiry. We owe that to the women, their families and to Julia.”

Speaking about the events that led up to her leaving her job at Broadmoor, Julia Wassell said:

“My experience illustrates that the existence of a whistleblowing policy in itself is insufficient, its effectiveness depends on senior managers being prepared to accept that there is something wrong in their organisation, put it right and respect the views of the publicly concerned professional.

“Without the support of UNISON and the British Association of Social Workers, I do not feel I could have survived the ordeal of the last 18 months.”

UNISON is calling for a full and open independent inquiry into the events at Broadmoor and a wider debate on a number of issues :

 the rights of vulnerable patients and whether they are taken seriously enough at Broadmoor and other hospitals.  management culture – why were the hospital’s own whistleblowing procedures not properly implemented. Why was the whistleblower harassed rather than being seen as an upholder of quality services and dignity for patients  How whistleblowing is dealt with in the wider NHS including the continued use of gagging clauses despite their ban by Ministers.

UNISON is today launching its landmark NHS staff Handbook "The Duty of Care" setting out the rights and duty of staff to raise and record concerns about the treatment of staff and patients.

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