The Cross Party Reference Group supporting the patient safety review of University Hospitals Birmingham will also support the well-led and culture reviews at the Trust, NHS Birmingham and Solihull today announced.
Chaired by the Birmingham Edgbaston MP, Preet Kaur Gill, the Cross-Party Reference Group has provided input into Professor Mike Bewick’s Patient Safety and Governance Review, as well as bringing together local voices and organisations to steer its broader direction. The group has acted as the conduit through which concerns raised confidentially with MPs, Healthwatch, unions and others could be shared with the review lead confidentially. Patients and family members have been able to share concerns and feedback via this group and then onto the review lead. In this way, the reference group has ensured that the final review captures as many voices as possible and that patients are at the heart of its recommendations.
Preet Kaur Gill, MP for Birmingham Edgbaston. said: “Following the initial Newsnight investigation, over 50 whistleblowers contacted me raising their concerns of a “put up or shut up culture”. These came from doctors, nurses and clinicians at all levels of the Trust. What they described to me was deeply troubling and plainly unacceptable.
“For the sake of staff and patients alike, I am pleased these three reviews are going ahead for change is so very clearly needed and this cannot be left to go unchallenged. As Chair of this cross-party group, I will be working with colleagues, to ensure we feed into the three reviews as they continue and ensure the independence and suitable challenge to the process.
“As soon as we receive the findings of the first review, the group will be meeting to discuss the outcome and recommendations from the report and will be issuing our response as soon as we have been able to properly analyse the review.”
David Melbourne, Chief Executive at NHS Birmingham and Solihull, said: “I would like to thank Preet and all the Reference Group members for their contributions to the review and for their willingness to continue to support the ongoing process. They have enabled the review to listen to as many views as possible in a short space of time and will play a valuable role going forward.”
The reference group will support and advise the oversight group on the subsequent reviews. The possible role that such a cross party community forum could have in wider engagement within the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System is under discussion.
The terms of reference for the Group have today been published and the members of the group confirmed as:
- Preet Kaur Gill, Labour and Co-operative MP for Birmingham, Edgbaston
- Gary Sambrook, Conservative MP for Birmingham, Northfield
- Richard Burden, Healthwatch Chair
- Andy Cave, Healthwatch CEO
- Dr Chaand Nagpaul, clinical representative
- Mitzi Wilson, RCN representative
- Councillor Mariam Khan, Health & Well Being Chairman & Cabinet Lead for Social Care and Health, Birmingham City Council
- Councillor Karen Grinsell, Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member with responsibility for Partnerships & Well-being, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council
- Gail Adams, Unison representative
- Peter Mayer, citizen representative
- Mustak Mirza, citizen representative