Finally, on the last day of the parliamentary term, I receive the Secretary of State for Health’s response to my request for an investigation into the withholding of information from the 1st Serious Case Review by Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).

It’s a no! Dissappointed – yes. Surprised – no.

The Secretary of State has taken the view that things have been put right since the dreadful events surrounding Peter Connelly’s death – and that although the 1st Serious Case Review into Baby Peter’s death was inadequate – a 2nd was ordered and carried out and that if the Chair of the 2nd Serious Case Review, Graham Badman, did not get to see the Sibert Report – that is between him and Dr Collins.  The Secretary of State concludes: ”I do not believe it would be beneficial to revisit these events once more’.

The Secretary of State did say he would look into the issues I raised and he has done so and come to a view.

My own view is that without a ‘judge-led’ inquiry into the withholding of the full Sibert Report from the 1st Serious Case Review and the consequences thereof –  ‘witnesses’ will not speak out for fear of reprisals or because they are under gagging orders – and only the protection of giving evidence under oath would allow them to do so. So – yes – I am disappointed.

In all of this I am acting as a local MP and fighting for justice for Dr Kim Holt who is still (after nearly four years) on special leave as the whistle blower who spoke out about the conditions at St Ann’s Clinic where Baby Peter was taken and his injuries not recognised. Despite a NHS London independent investigation recommending her reinstatement by GOSH – she remains on full pay at taxpayers’ expense (an excellent paediatrician going to waste because she spoke out).

I simply observe, however, that it in terms of the current scandal over hacking being exposed despite the power of the press, the police and politicians – the truth is outing!

We will just have to see what happens next.

Three new gaping holes in Great Ormond Street Hospital’s defense of their managerial operation have opened up in the last couple of days.

Andrew Gilligan writing in the Sunday Telegraph today uncovers more material and more witnesses that demonstrate GOSH’s failure to deal with patient safety issues when warned by top consultants with the management turning on those who dare raise such issues. You can read his article here. This follows exactly what happened to my constituent, Kim Holt, a consultant paediatrician working for GOSH at St Ann’s before Baby Peter’s death – who warned that the situation was dangerous and for her troubles was turned on by the hospital. Clearly there are many others in similar positions at GOSH.

Second – a group of consultants have called on the Secretary of State for Health to order an independent inquiry into all of this. They say that there is such a culture of fear that no one dares speak out. I know quite a few people who won’t speak to the media – but would give evidence to an inquiry. Only with the protection of an official inquiry will we get to the truth. 

Thirdly – and most relevant to my concern that GOSH withheld vital information from the 1st Serious Case Review (a statutory process) which documents the events leading up to Baby Peter’s death – is that a key part of GOSH’s defense is that they withheld the information on police advice. In a BBC London report on Friday night the BBC say that Scotland Yard refutes this absolutely and they would never give such advice and it would not be in their jurisdiction to do so.

The news broke tonight on the back of the Sibert Report finally being released under Freedom of Information to BBC London in the 6.30 BBC London news.

I have raised it on the floor of the chamber and on this blog many times (just use the search button) – that the health care failings in Children’s Safeguarding by Great Ormond Street (GOSH) were never looked into properly and worse.

Finally – with the release of the Sibert Report – anyone can see if they compare the original report with the addendum supplied to the Serious Case Revew what has been removed. The BBC London website has an excellent report on the scandal here.

Whilst the establishment tries to close around Great Ormond Street to protect the Chief Executive – the facts are out there now to be seen by all. GOSH have refuted all the charges and the Board say they have complete confidence in Dr Collins. Shame on them.

In their statement they say they met me about my concerns. No – they met me about concerns about one of my constituents (one of the four paediatric consultants who was put on special leave because she raised concerns about the danger to children in St Ann’s Hospital). That meeting was not about the withholding of information from the Serious Case Review. And moreover – even that meeting was only granted after Baroness Blackstone (Chair of Great Ormond Street Board) had refused to meet me on my own without Dr Collins present. I have the emails!

Haringey was rightly in the spotlight as the lead agency in the wake of the Baby P tragedy – but  perhaps that spotlight detracted from the terribly dangerous conditions in which vulnerable children were being left by the management failures by GOSH.

The fact that these failings – this vital information – never reached the Serious Case Review because it was removed  from the addendum submitted to the Serious Case Review is a scandal. Dr Collins is the author of the addendum.

I have called for an investigation into the withholding of this vital information and wait to see whether real justice will be done.

Liberal Democrat Voice have written a post on this here.

The court’s decision was that Sharon Shoesmith was unlawfully dismissed because of procedural issues. My understanding is that the court is not saying that she should or should not have lost her job, but simply that proper procedures to dismiss her were not followed.

The real crux for me is that after each terrible tragedy we are always told ‘lessons will be learned’.

Well – one of the lessons we learned from Victoria Climbie’s death (which also happened in Haringey a few years earlier) was that no one took ultimate responsibility for the failings in Haringey Council.

The then Leader, (George Meehan), the councillor who chaired the Social Services Committee (Gina Adamou) and the Director of Social Services (Mary Richardson) – suffered no consequences of the dire failures in departments that they were responsible for. No one resigned. No one was held accountable. Only the social worker at the end of the food chain got it in the neck.

That is why, following the public inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbie in Haringey, Lord Laming put in a recommendation that there should be responsibility under the law for this duty of care. And so – in the Children’s Act 2004, for the first time,  it was set in law that two positions would be held responsible for the failings in their service. Those positions were the Director of Children’s Services and the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services.

Following Baby Peter’s death – Cllr Liz Santry, the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, resigned. Sharon Shoesmith, the Director of Children’s Services, did not.

The Government’s decision to appeal this latest decision is welcome. The outcome of that judgement will tell us whether lessons have really been learned.