Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust's child protection procedures at Stoke Mandeville still putting children at risk, says Mandate Now

Just weeks before two reports into the abuses committed by Jimmy Savile at Stoke Mandeville are due to be published, pressure group Mandate Now claims Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust’s policies for safeguarding children are not stringent enough.

The disgraced television presenter and Radio 1 DJ allegedly carried out a host of sex abuses against children at Stoke Mandeville.

Earlier this month, former doctor Michael Salmon, now 80, was found guilty of sexually abusing girls at the hospital.

Salmon repeatedly indecently assaulted young female patients during unnecessary internal examinations for his own sexual “kicks” and was found guilty of raping a 16-year-old girl at his home.

Jimmy Savile

Tom Perry, of Mandate Now, said Stoke Mandeville’s current reporting arrangements are too vague as staff are advised they “should” report concerns rather than “must”.

Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust said they take their responsibilities for safeguarding very seriously and its “robust” procedures have been developed over a number of years.

Mr Perry said: “You can’t build a credible protection policy on little more than a ‘should’. Early intervention is key.

“Without mandatory reporting there is no chance that reliable child protection can be delivered.

“Discretionary reporting suddenly means that lots of people for self preservation reasons won’t speak.”

Mr Perry said there are two types of referral, one that emerges from an outsider coming and another where it is staff on staff reporting, with the case of Savile an example of the latter.

Mr Perry added: “For some bizarre reason he [Savile] was seen as something in society. He did produce an awful lot of cash for the place and he transformed the hospital and unfortunately that put him in a position.

“His power was overwhelming and when you have a rainmaker the last thing you want to do is kill a rainmaker.”

A spokesman from Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust said: “The trust is committed to the wellbeing of all people using its services and takes its safeguarding responsibilities extremely seriously.

Michael Salmon

“We have worked over a number of years to develop robust policies and procedures, which are underpinned by a culture in which staff are trained and encouraged to raise any concerns around safeguarding issues appropriately.

“We have strengthened our internal processes, for example, by introducing a comprehensive training strategy; by appointing named Safeguarding Leads within the trust and through the launch of an awareness campaign to enable staff to ‘Speak Out Safely’.

“Externally, we work closely in partnership with other agencies to protect and prevent children and adults from harm.

“Last year, the trust joined the Buckinghamshire Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) which has been successful in forging stronger links amongst agencies to enable quicker information sharing and better informed decisions around safeguarding of vulnerable children and adults.

“We are never complacent and are always working to strengthen our approach. Our safeguarding policies and approach are regularly subjected to external scrutiny and there are a number of checks and balances in place to ensure they remain robust and relevant.

“Part of the remit of the independent investigation into the activities of Jimmy Savile at Stoke Mandeville Hospital includes a comprehensive review of current policies and procedures. The report is likely to be published this month.”

The trust’s report and Kate Lampard’s assurance report, which will look into the role of Savile at the NHS, are both due to be published later this month.