Blows Whistle Anaesthetist Stephen Bolsin put his career on the line when he raised objections to the high death rate among babies undergoing heart surgery at Bristol Healthcare Trust . He has now moved to Australia. Some brave nurses also expressed concerns at the time, but were ignored. It seems that the surgeons were accountable to no one. Surgeon James Wisheart was been struck off the register.
Many questions remain unanswered as an inquiry begins.
The deaths of almost 2,000 heart patients at Bristol Royal Infirmary between 1984 and 1995 are under investigation. The first stage of the inquiry concluded at the end of 1999 - and continues. FTC will be reporting on the outcome of the inquiry. The Inquiry has already heard in an earlier session last year how a nurse who knew exactly what was going on was too afraid to blow the whistle on the surgeons involved.