Margaret Heywood is all over the news today for being removed from the Nursing & Midwifery Council's register. Following her involvement with the Panorama program exposing patient care in the Royal Sussex Hospital, in July 2005.

"This makes total nonsense of all the talk about openness and transparency in the NHS. Cover-up is the order of the game " - Joyce Robins, Patient Concern

Whereas there are issues raised by her case. Clearly given her experience she felt this was the only way to get the plight of patients into the public arena rather than remain in the background.  

Without understand the culture of the NHS it is difficult to really understand the pressures placed on staff to remain quiet. 

Here we have an incident where public interest and the NHS and associated bodies have had a chance to send a message on how they deal with "Whistleblowing" and cases that lets face it reach the public domain because of poor care and a failure of those empowered to act.

The message is still clear, whistle blow and you will loose your career!

The NMC, if it had issues could have chosen a less severe punishment.

This is dangerous for us as patients moving forward, it re-enforces a wall of silence.

She did realise it may have come to this when she filmed the program. 

Personally, I admire her selfless pursuit in the hope to change the treatment of the elderly.

Shame on the NMC for not taking the oppourtunity to demonstrate a commitment to patient & member care than providing a "stick".