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NHS 'cover-up' names revealed by CQC NHS 'cover-up' names revealed by CQC
(35 minutes later)
The identities of the officials involved in the alleged cover-up by the NHS regulator of its failure to investigate deaths of babies at a Cumbria hospital have been revealed. Officials alleged to have been involved in an NHS regulator's cover-up of failures over deaths of babies at a Cumbria hospital have been identified.
The Care Quality Commission has named former chief executive Cynthia Bower, her deputy Jill Finney and media manager Anna Jefferson.The Care Quality Commission has named former chief executive Cynthia Bower, her deputy Jill Finney and media manager Anna Jefferson.
They were all said to be present at a meeting where deletion of a critical report was discussed. They were all said to be present at a meeting where deletion of a critical report was allegedly discussed.
The move came after mounting pressure. Initially all three were not named when the claims surfaced on Wednesday.
The alleged decision to block publication of the report - an internal review of the CQC's handling of its monitoring of Furness General Hospital - emerged on Wednesday when the regulator published a report it had commissioned from consultants Grant Thornton. But the CQC was forced into a U-turn amid mounting pressure from ministers and the information commissioner.
The firm was asked by the CQC to investigate its failure to spot the problems at the hospital run by the Morecambe Bay NHS Trust. The allegations of a cover-up emerged in a report produced by consultants Grant Thornton.
In 2010 it gave the hospital a clean bill of health despite problems emerging about the maternity unit. It was commissioned by the CQC after a new leadership team was appointed last summer.
'Deliberate cover-up'
The Grant Thornton report said the three officials attended a meeting in March 2012 with the author of an internal report detailing the CQC's monitoring of Furness General Hospital.
In 2010 the CQC gave the hospital - run by Morecambe Bay NHS Trust - a clean bill of health despite problems emerging about the maternity unit.
More than 30 families have now taken legal action against the hospital in relation to baby and maternal deaths and injuries from 2008.More than 30 families have now taken legal action against the hospital in relation to baby and maternal deaths and injuries from 2008.
Grant Thornton found that in 2011 an internal review was ordered into how the problems had gone unnoticed.Grant Thornton found that in 2011 an internal review was ordered into how the problems had gone unnoticed.
But in March 2012 it was decided the findings should not be made public because the review was highly critical of the regulator. But in a meeting in March 2012 between the author of the report - Louise Dineley, the CQC's head of regulatory risk and quality - and the three others, Ms Dineley said she was told to delete the report by Ms Finney and that Ms Jefferson and Ms Bower had "verbally agreed".
That order is said to have come from a senior manager. The allegation has been denied. Ms Dineley claimed that Ms Finney, who has now left the CQC, said to her "read my lips" when she gave the instruction.
The Grant Thornton report said this "might well have constituted a deliberate cover-up". The allegations have been denied by those involved.
'Good faith' But the Grant Thornton report concluded this "might well have constituted a deliberate cover-up".
The CQC initially removed the names of those involved, arguing it would be a breach of the Data Protection Act. Former Care Quality Commission chief executive Cynthia Bower said she "gave no instruction to delete" the internal review, but added that as the boss of the healthcare watchdog: "The buck stops with me."
But this was then rejected by Information Commissioner Christopher Graham. In a statement issued to the BBC, Ms Jefferson, who is still an employee of the CQC, said: "I am a new mother myself and the thought of what the families who have lost babies at this hospital have gone through is heartbreaking.
He said: "What appeared to be going on yesterday was a sort of general duck-out saying, 'Oh, data protection, sorry can't help you,' that's all too common and in this case it certainly looked as if data protection really wasn't the issue. "I would never have conspired to cover up anything which could have led to a better understanding of what went wrong in the regulation of this hospital. I am so appalled that I have been implicated in this way."
"So far as the Data Protection Act is concerned, we all have a right to the protection of our personal privacy but if you are a senior official then there are issues about the point at which your privacy is set aside because of over-riding public interest. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt tweeted: "Pleased to receive CQC letter naming the individuals involved. Clear sign NHS is changing. We must have accountability throughout the system."
"That's really the issue at stake here."
The CQC later agreed to review its decision to not name those involved, which then led to the release of the names.
Speaking ahead of their actual publication, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the decision by the CQC to reveal the names was very pleasing.
"I think this is a sign that the NHS is changing - because we've had a history of cover-ups going on many, many years and now what's happening is that when there was an issue the new management of the CQC immediately asked for an independent report.
"They published that report yesterday and now as I understand it they've got legal advice that says they can issue the names of the people mentioned in that report.
"And I think that's so important because there has to be accountability inside the NHS for people's actions and people have to know where the buck stops when something goes wrong."