Daily Insight: A damning ‘disappointment’

Bill Kirkup – who led investigations into both the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay and East Kent maternity scandals – is a very measured and courteous man. So when he says that he is “disappointed” in the government’s response to his East Kent report, it’s probably the case that he is furious.

Four and a half months after the publication of his report into the death and avoidable harm caused to babies and mothers in East Kent, the government response has fallen rather flat.

On the plus side this “initial response” does seem to accept many recommendations made by Dr Kirkup and commissions various reports. On the negative side, the response could have been given the day after the report was published in October – there is no indication of anything but the vaguest plans, no timeline for action. The careful wording on a couple of points suggests that some of his recommendations may lead to little action.

Dr Kirkup obviously expected a more fully developed plan and so did some of the families involved. One described it as “deeply disappointing”; another “weak and generic.” And there was anger, too, that this was a written statement with no chance to question ministers.

Watch out for the watchdog

Staff at the Care Quality Commission are the latest to vote for strike action, following ongoing frustration at below inflation pay. Although for some hospital managers this might sound like a cause for celebration, this move adds to the growing number of the health and social care workforce who are deeply unhappy with their pay.

Two out of five CQC unions have reported the results of their ballot; over 300 Unison members have opted to strike, and over 80 from the PCS union. Unite, RCN and Prospect are yet to report their ballots.

The decision for CQC staff to strike is of course related to the below inflation pay offer last year, but this frustration has been rumbling along for far longer. In multiple recent CQC staff surveys, dissatisfaction with pay has been clear, with the regulator lobbying the Treasury to change the rules and bring it out of the civil service pay framework and enable the unions to negotiate more competitive pay. 

But with the focus on resolving the nursing, ambulance and junior doctors’ strikes, which are coming up later this month, will the CQC staff striking get the exposure they need? It feels like they could easily be overshadowed.