Protect NHS staff to speak up when managers deny avoidable deaths

by Edwin Jesudason

Protect NHS staff to speak up when managers deny avoidable deaths

by Edwin Jesudason
Edwin Jesudason
Case Owner
I’m an NHS consultant who blew the whistle on surgical deaths in children. My appeal case aims to ensure that managers deal with such issues rather than use lawyers to evade them.
Funded
on 29th September 2019
£12,035
pledged of £35,000 stretch target from 331 pledges
Edwin Jesudason
Case Owner
I’m an NHS consultant who blew the whistle on surgical deaths in children. My appeal case aims to ensure that managers deal with such issues rather than use lawyers to evade them.

Who am I?

Hello. My name is Ed Jesudason and I used to work as a consultant surgeon doing specialist operations for babies with birth defects and children with rare tumours. 

I blew the whistle on avoidable deaths at a major children's hospital, because sweeping matters under the carpet continues to put children's lives at risk.

What happened after I blew the whistle?

Even though a Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) report upheld many of my concerns, senior managers at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital made my position untenable, and offered to pay me off. As a last resort, I took unaddressed safety concerns to the press and to Parliament, only for managers to claim falsely that everything had been investigated and proved baseless. Large sections of the RCS report into my concerns were kept secret. 

Surprisingly, a Liverpool Employment Tribunal judge sided with local managers, but was then criticised as “unwise” by a more senior judge - for brushing aside my concerns.

The Court of Appeal has decided we have “real prospects of success” in overturning the tribunal decision and showing that whistleblowers who speak out about patient safety should be protected. But we still need your support to do this, please contribute and share this page via social media and email now.

Why is this case important?

This case looks to make us safer, whether we use, or work in the NHS. We must fight for the right of doctors to speak out when they see patients' lives - particularly vulnerable groups such as children - at risk. Hospital managers shouldn’t make blanket denials to Parliament when, in fact, children have died. Local tribunals shouldn’t look the other way - refusing even to read the full RCS report on how deaths could have been avoided. Instead, they should be looking out for NHS staff who have exhausted other avenues and take persisting safety problems to the press.

It’s unusual - but the Court of Appeal has agreed to hear not just one, but all six grounds of our appeal. 

Why are we raising funds?

We're raising funds to cover legal costs, including a legal team to present this important case before the Court of Appeal.

Thank you for supporting us - whether you’re one of the hundreds who’ve got us this far - or you’re brand new to the case. 

Here’s more on how the legal machinery makes money from harm rather than allowing the NHS to learn. 


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