The BBC Newsnight Crisis: A warning to writers across the board

For writers of all kinds, the recent BBC Newsnight crisis is something that should long stay in the mind. It is a stark warning to journalists and writers alike that research should be thorough, rigorous and double-checked before going to press. The result of failing to properly conduct and test research is plain to see; the BBC have paid a heavy price thus far for their research failings and there are indications that the account is not yet settled. So what should writers learn from the BBC’s hard learned lesson?

Research skills are an absolutely essential pre-requisite for writers, and good research is worth its weight in literary gold.  Whether you write travel guides, novels, news articles or short stories, research is what gives you the knowledge and confidence to put your writing into the public eye and say: “This is my work – read it!”

  If a writer were to refer to “Chelmsford in the county of Suffolk”, editors and publishers would be just a little surprised. To refer to the end of World War 1 in 1917 would be sacrilege and if a poorly researched news piece was to wrongly accuse a member of the House of Lords of child abuse…well, you get the idea.

The trustees of the Bureau of Investigative Journalism recently came out and said (Source: The Bureau of Investigative Journalism website, 10/11/2012) “The Bureau was named as a contributor to the broadcast of a BBC Newsnight programme on November 2 on child abuse in North Wales.  The Trustees are appalled at what appears to be a breach of its standards.” There can be no doubt that those that are found responsible will face severe reprimands. To make matters worse, the Lord involved in the saga is threatening legal action.

  The over-riding lesson that writers have to learn from the BBC Newsnight crisis is similar to the old DIY adage: ‘Measure twice, cut once’. Do your research, make sure it’s accurate, and then go ahead. 

If you would like further information on writing including research, visit Wordsworth Reading’s writers resource page at http://www.wordsworthreading.co.uk/writresources.shtml.

Source: BBC News website, 11/10/2012

The launch of the Speaking Up charter

The CQC has joined with other regulators, professional bodies and trade unions to launch the Speaking Up charter, a commitment to work together to support people who raise concerns in the public interest.

The charter sets out a commitment to work more effectively together to create a transparent healthcare system that puts safety first, one that ensures people are fully supported to report concerns and safety issues and are treated fairly and with empathy, when they have been involved in an incident or have raised a concern.

David Behan, CQC’s Chief Executive, said: “The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is committed to helping foster and create an open and transparent culture for those who 'speak out' in the health and social care sectors. We welcome wholeheartedly this charter.

"However charters are of limited value unless they are promoted and championed by leaders in health and social care. It is important that leaders listen and act on information that they receive from those who speak out about issues of safety of services." (www.CQC.org.uk, November 12)

Those joining the CQC to sign the charter include NHS Employers, the British Medical Association, the General Medical Council, the General Dental Council, the General Pharmaceutical Council, the Royal College of Nursing, the Royal College of Midwives, the British Dental Association, the Health and Care Professions Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council, UNISON and Unite.

It is important to provide an environment where people feel able to raise concerns, whether they are staff, users of health and social care services or their relatives.

The charter outlines a number of commitments:

•  To promote openness, transparency, fairness, reporting and learning as part of providing safer patient and public care.

•  To foster a culture of openness which supports staff to raise concerns.

•  To share expertise to create effective ways of reporting incidents and concerns early on.

•  Exchange information, where it is appropriate, in the interest of patient and public safety.

•  Signpost individuals to support and guidance to ensure that they are fully aware of and understand their protected rights under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998.

•    Seek to highlight issues where current law or regulations may restrict those who wish to raise a concern about a human error.

(Image by Medill DC, Flickr)

Scottish doctors are being asked to strike

NHS doctors in Scotland are being asked if they would be willing to go on strike over the Christmas and New Year period. They would be striking to defend pension changes. 

The pension reforms that have been planned would mean doctors would work longer and contributing up to 14.5% of their pay for their pension. 

The British Medical Association (BMA) said the government has failed to come up with an alternative to the changes being imposed in England and Wales. The BMA has been in talks with the Scottish government and is now balloting its members on the issue of pensions. 

The result could lead to strikes on December 12, January 8, and January 17, this does exclude emergency cover. Strike action that took place in June saw 60% of GP surgeries and 3,200 outpatients appointments in Scotland disrupted. 

The BMA has said that strike action would be a last resort. While the Scottish government says that it is negotiating in good faith, but as yet have been unable to come up with an alternative to the English proposals.  

(Image by DIAC Images, Flickr.)

The CQCs High Level Measures

The latest updates to the CQCs  high level measures on how they are doing against their three key regulatory functions of registration, compliance and enforcement as well as in their customer service standards for 2012 /13 show that;

Registration: 
The CQC is on track to meet its 90% target of processing all applications for new registrations and changes to existing ones.

Compliance: 

This is the measure of how well the CQC is doing against its commitment to inspect services in year. Whilst on track to meet its commitments in NHS Trusts and Adult social care services it is underperforming overall, being behind track in such areas as the independent healthcare services and dental services.

Enforcement: 
The CQC is on track to meet its 90% target of warning notices issued within 14 days of identifying when one is required.

Customer services: 
The CQC is currently ahead of its target of answering 90% of calls in the prioritised area of safeguarding and mental health answered within 30 seconds.

If you would like more information on the standards set by the CQC and how you can meet them, visit Words Worth Reading Ltd.


Image: Medill DC, Flickr

Updates from the CQC

There have been some useful updates from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) during the last month. 

These include:

The CQC have launched a consultation on the fees that they propose to charge health and social care services that are registered with them. The changes for the fees in 2013/14 include:

• Redefining fees categories.
• The fees that NHS GP providers and other primary medical services will pay when they are registered from 1 April 2013.
• A change to the banding of fees for primary dental services.
• An increase in fees for single specialty independent hospitals.
• A decrease in the fees for individual mobile diagnostic providers.
• A change to the category and fee levels for out-of-hours providers.
• Extending the scheme from 1 October 2013 to include independent midwives who will be entering the registration system. 

If you would like more information about how Words Worth Reading Ltd can help when applying and preparing for CQC registration, visit our website. 

It's Personal: Spotlight shone on 'purchased' UCAS personal statements

In the university application process, the personal statement has always been vital. It’s been the student’s opportunity to showcase why they would be a valuable addition to an institution and why they deserve a place. It’s been the universities opportunity to decide which students best suit their courses and in the majority of cases, is a replacement for a formal interview. The system has been thrown into scandal however, following an investigation by The Observer which has revealed some students have been buying pre-written personal statements to help them get through the process.

Companies, some of which have been set up by graduates with experience of the current system, are offering bespoke personal statements to prospective under-graduates and charging up to £350 for the forged statement. The lure is understandable; writing a good personal statement is a time-consuming and challenging business, and can take several days. In one case, an investigator posing as a student was able to complete a basic questionnaire covering personal details such as work experience and interests, and was told they could receive their personal statement within 24 hours.

UCAS (University and College Admission Service) has been quick to condemn the practice and has warned students not to risk being caught by their fraud detection software. “It is important to understand that even a bespoke personal statement service carries the risk of being caught by our similarity detection software, which in turn flags this to the universities” says Cathy Gilbert of UCAS (The Guardian, 13/10/2012). Students who are found to have used a forged or purchased personal statement risk being removed from the university application process.

(Source: The Guardian, care of www.theguardian.co.uk, 13/10/2012)

To see a video, care of UCAS, on YouTube which can provide advice on writing your personal statement, click here.

For more information on applying for university or college, visit the UCAS website at www.ucas.ac.uk