How does this help to improve the lot of mental health patients?

The hospital had a duty of care which they failed to exercise, ending in the loss of a young life. They are answerable to the tax payer.

Thames Water should have been better regulated by Offwat but wasn't. They were only answerable to their shareholders...who have made a mint from this company and continue to do so.

There is no comparison to be made between these two matters...

Thames water is an utter disgrace and of course any financial penalty will end up being paid by its customers. They also should have a duty of care, I have daughters living in London supplied by Thames water who are regularly without water due to the water being contaminated, and they have small children, but often have to go to the supermarket to buy water because the company doesn’t supply any until customers complain. The last time they found ecoli in the water.
As for the tragic other case stated, there has to be accountability when a vulnerable person being allegedly cared for loses their life.

I wouldn’t put the two in the same bracket.

When I heard the news today I had the same reaction, just as in previous cases where the NHS has systematically failed patients. How does depriving a particular hospital or department of cash help anyone? It doesn’t, but unless an individual can be prosecuted I am not sure what else to suggest. Reforms of course. Better training, better safeguards. Both cost money.

Cabbie21

I wouldn’t put the two in the same bracket.

When I heard the news today I had the same reaction, just as in previous cases where the NHS has systematically failed patients. How does depriving a particular hospital or department of cash help anyone? It doesn’t, but unless an individual can be prosecuted I am not sure what else to suggest. Reforms of course. Better training, better safeguards. Both cost money.

I have not compared the cases, and under no circumstances can they been seen as comparable. The health authority will have less money to spend on righting the wrongs that have led to the tragic death. That cannot help anybody.
Thames Water will, very likely, be using the funding from customers to pay this incredibly large fine, and that won't benefit the customer. The point of my post is to see what other GN think of the imposition of huge fines - which seemingly penalise those not at fault.

Why a fine, that takes away the care for more patients? it makes no sense whatsoever!

In 1994 I could have sued the local hospital for neglect as they failed to diagnose peritonitis and I only had had 2 days to live and ended up with a seriously blocked bowl and a number of operations ensued.

But what was the point? I couldn't turn the clock back, it would have taken care away from others.

LovesBach

BBC News has an article regarding the death of a young girl. She took her own life in a secure unit and the hospital trust has been fined £500k. A dreadful situation for her family, and the tragic loss of a young life. Quite clearly so much was wrong and needs addressing. What I do find thought provoking is exactly what huge fines achieve - the trust cannot engage more staff if they are already cash strapped and needing better funding. Thames Water has been fined £122 million - an absolutely mind boggling figure - and we can all work out where that is coming from. How does it help to improve what has gone wrong with their operations? I can see that money is necessary when a wage earner or a child carer is lost in a preventable accident, but what do fines achieve when cash is already the problem?

This is a well deserved fine. The use of bin liners where patients could have accesss is a known risk and others have died in mental health hospitals the same way. The.NHS needs more qualified carers that keep a good eye and interact with the patients. Many are just there for the paycheck . I have seen this myself.

I don’t know the situation but if it is anything like it is here all the hospitals have a massive amount of insurance which would pay out in this sort of situation ( the medical one not the water board). Result is that everyone gets a higher insurance premium next year so they can pay for it. The public pays ultimately.

I suppose it's assumed that a whopping fine will mean "Lessons Will Be Learned!"

Fat chance.

I’ll show my ignorance here. Where does the money paid in NHS fines go? It doesn’t appear to be being spent on tutoring those that need “to learn lessons.” Anyone more informed and can enlighten me?

teabagwoman

I’ll show my ignorance here. Where does the money paid in NHS fines go? It doesn’t appear to be being spent on tutoring those that need “to learn lessons.” Anyone more informed and can enlighten me?

Government accounts are all smoke and mirrors so I doubt if anything, beyond the money’s receipt,

aagh. Didn’t finish that post

I doubt if anything is recorded in the government accounts apart from the receipt of the fine money.

The OP makes a good point about the hospital fine. It would seem to make sense if the money were to be ploughed straight back in to training of the people who failed – through incompetence or neglect or mistakes – to prevent the girl's death. Whether this is what happens is moot.

Perhaps to gain attention, about the issue?
A written warning would not be picked up by the Press.

Syracute

LovesBach

BBC News has an article regarding the death of a young girl. She took her own life in a secure unit and the hospital trust has been fined £500k. A dreadful situation for her family, and the tragic loss of a young life. Quite clearly so much was wrong and needs addressing. What I do find thought provoking is exactly what huge fines achieve - the trust cannot engage more staff if they are already cash strapped and needing better funding. Thames Water has been fined £122 million - an absolutely mind boggling figure - and we can all work out where that is coming from. How does it help to improve what has gone wrong with their operations? I can see that money is necessary when a wage earner or a child carer is lost in a preventable accident, but what do fines achieve when cash is already the problem?

This is a well deserved fine. The use of bin liners where patients could have accesss is a known risk and others have died in mental health hospitals the same way. The.NHS needs more qualified carers that keep a good eye and interact with the patients. Many are just there for the paycheck . I have seen this myself.

More qualified carers cost money - and this is exactly the point of my post. How is that to be achieved when the Health Authority is fined a large sum? It may be a well deserved fine, but taking money from the organisation achieves what?