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No one listening as nurse Amanda Pinkney blew whistle

Nurse Amanda Pinkney (photo left) internally blew the whistle on a consultant gynaecologist's surgical incompetence three times, but no one listened to her. Managers brushed her concerns aside.

The gynaecologist Richard Neale was only struck off by the General Medical Council in 2000, after complaints from the women suffering terrible pain after Neale's surgery in the late 1980s' and early 90s. A closed-door inquiry is now under way.

Pinkney says,

" You need senior nurses on your side, not against you. You need to be able to whistleblow with a clear conscience so you don't end up feeling like you've done something criminal. You begin to doubt yourself. I'd like to see more health professionals sticking up for themselves and for patients." (Nursing Standard, 11 July 2001.)

4Aug2001