BMJ  2005;330:1449 (18 June), doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7505.1449

Letter

Was Rodney Ledward a statistical outlier?

Ledward's managers knew for 10 years that he was a risk

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—Looking at statistics will not add anything if managers are aware of problems that place patients at risk but fail to act, as happened in the Ledward case.^{1 2} Jean Ritchie QC chaired the inquiry into Rodney Ledward and found that as early as 1986, 10 years before his suspension, senior management was aware of Ledward's "high complication rate and his cavalier manner."³ She also identified that "a culture of not telling tales was a big part of the problem." What is better, telling tales or managers turning a blind eye to safety issues?

Whistleblowing is nowadays encouraged in the NHS, and there is an expectation of "a climate of openness and dialogue in the NHS, which encourages all staff to feel able to raise concerns about healthcare matters in a reasonable and responsible way without fear of victimisation." That quote comes from Andrew Foster, director of human resources . . . [Full text of this article]

St James's University Hospital, Leeds LS9 7TF nigel.dudley@leedsth.nhs.uk

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