The 17 local families – calling themselves Families for Culture Change – said they shared their distressing stories with journalists out of desperation, after their attempts to challenge failings in local services had been repeatedly obstructed.
They have spoken out the day before the States debates whether to back a code of conduct recommendation to suspend Gavin St Pier for 25 days over a disputed phone call with a Guardian journalist who was looking into the families’ complaints about consultant paediatrician Dr Sandie Bohin.
‘We spoke with a journalist from The Guardian to tell our stories and we have spoken with other media,’ said the 17 families, in a letter published in today’s Guernsey Press.
‘We have spent nearly a decade trying to get our voices heard to no avail.
‘We have followed complaint and appeal procedures, only to see them used against us.
‘Our voices were suppressed or silenced. Therefore, we decided that it was time to speak up to the only outlet left available to us – the media.’
Following a complaint made by Dr Bohin early this year, standards commissioner Dr Melissa McCullough ruled that Deputy St Pier had broken numerous sections of the code of conduct, and she criticised his behaviour towards the doctor as a form of bullying.
The group of 17 families wrote to deputies over the weekend in support of Deputy St Pier’s campaign to highlight their experiences and to ask them to throw out the recommendation to suspend him.
‘Dr Bohin’s current pursuit of Deputy St Pier, through yet another code of conduct complaint, is merely the latest evidence of the lack of safety in the system for people who speak out,’ they said.
‘If elected representatives are no longer allowed to bring individual cases into the light, where does that leave free speech? Where does it leave the role of elected representatives? This could be about any matter – health, policing, housing, education – the list goes on. The message Dr McCullough has put forward is clear – speak out and face condemnation.
‘This ruling is much bigger than Deputy St Pier, Dr Bohin or any of us as families. This ruling fundamentally strikes at the heart of democracy and raises questions about the role of our elected individuals in representing the voice of our community.
‘They have an essential role as advocates for their constituents. It is tragic and alarming that this role is now being threatened by this complaint.’
In reply to the letter, the Medical Specialist Group said it was distressed at the thought of any parent feeling unsupported while trying to care for an unwell child, and that it would like to start ‘constructive dialogue’ with the families.
Read more in Tuesday’s Press
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