Justice for Dr Raj Mattu

Dr Raj Mattu Reinstatement Committee (DRMRC)
PO Box 2912, Coventry, CV1 3YX
www.reinstatedoctorrajmattu.co.uk or www.drmrc.co.uk

Dr Raj Mattu, Consultant Cardiologist, bravely ‘whistle blew’ over excess patient deaths and unsafe overcrowding at University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust in 2001, when independent health agencies revealed it had a 60% excess death rate (more than twice the level found at Stafford Hospital) and by far the countries worst death rates after heart surgery. Just months later, in 2002, Trust managers used a false allegation of bullying to suspend him for nearly 6 years.

Trust managers eventually held an expensive Inquiry, wasting over a million pounds to try and achieve its openly declared aim to get rid of Dr Mattu and destroy his career. The mission to oust the whistleblower and smear him ran aground when the Trust Inquiry concluded Dr Mattu is to be fully reinstated.

CEO David Roberts refused to apply his panel’s verdict, before being exposed for wrongly denying possession of incident forms recording deaths of overcrowded patients and departing in 2006.

After reluctantly lifting the suspension in 2007, the Trust then relies on more than 200 allegations it sent to the General Medical Council (GMC). After prolonged investigation, the GMC dismissed each and every one of the allegations and closed its file on Dr Mattu, and cleared him for restoration to his positions at both the Hospital and University of Warwick in March 2009.

The Trust Board member overseeing Dr Mattu’s suspension, Cllr. Phillip Townshend, and the Finance Director who authorised wastage of an estimated £5 million on Dr Mattu’s exclusion, Mr Andrew Hardy, are promoted to Trust Chair and CEO, respectively.

Medical Director, Mr Richard Kennedy, downgraded Dr Mattu’s re-skilling and tried to effectively demote him. The new Trust HR Director, Mr Ian Crich, urges the BMA for Dr Mattu to immediately resign, and is reported to “wanting to see the back of” him, despite having never had any personal dealings with Dr Mattu. After Dr Mattu raised grievances of victimisation, harassment and discrimination against Mr Kennedy, and later Mr Crich, the Trust responded by initiating and pursuing disciplinary action against Dr Mattu instead.

Without investigating Dr Mattu’s grievances, the Trust made the counter-charge he raised false complaints, and added the allegation Dr Mattu had breached confidentiality, even though the media reported Dr Mattu’s mistreatment in December 2009, saying “Dr Mattu is banned from speaking publically about his case” (BBC).

Dr Mattu’s symptoms from his underlying illness had lessened after the GMC verdict, when added distress caused by Trust managers led to a serious set-back with poor health through 2010. During prolonged sickness absence, Dr Mattu followed advice from his doctors and the Trust occupational health to avoid seclusion and depression, and specific advice to go along to a Trust Charity dinner with Trust managers. The Trust managers responded by alleging Dr Mattu was feigning illness and added this to his disciplinary.

Dangerous deterioration in Dr Mattu’s health caused emergency admission to hospital by October 2010. Without involving Dr Mattu at any stage of the disciplinary process, senior managers proceeded to conduct the disciplinary and held a hearing whilst he was a hospital in-patient and deliberately dismissed him during his absence through sickness.

Dr Mattu stood by his conviction and commitment to protect his patients and the public against dangerous practices and related deaths, and felt it his duty to whistle-blew. One of the 3 allegations used to dismiss Dr Mattu is ironically of supposedly speaking to the media in December 2009, even though he did not. No-one in authority has intervened and stopped the disgraceful mistreatment and ruin inflicted on Dr Mattu’s career and health.

Seeing the needless destruction of Dr Mattu’s life, is it any surprise that more people continued to die at Stafford Hospital and that clinical staff in the West Midlands NHS remain too frightened to speak out to protect their patients. Who is there to protect clinical staff when they make public interest disclosures or whistle-blow? It appears, no-one other than the public.

If you are moved by this travesty of justice and waste of tax-payers money, please assist by signing this petition.