Tom Bell

About me

In 1991 my sister Alison took her life after being abused by an older male nurse when she was a patient in the care of an NHS mental health hospital. The facts remained hidden for many years and only started to fully emerge recently following many years of truth-seeking. My family and I are still seeking a fresh inquest into Alison’s death.

I am an organisational ethics consultant and speaker specialising in wilful blindness. I am also a former NHS Whistleblower who was forced out of a career in 2017. I am the founder of Humanity & Integrity in Public Sector Services, and author of Lions, Liars, Donkeys and Penguins – The Killing of Alison, a book about the events surrounding the suicide of my sister in the care of the NHS.

In 2021 I presented to the HSJ National Patient Safety Congress, in 2020 I contributed to the publication of a report by Justice.org.uk “When Things go Wrong”; and in 2019 I contributed to an NHS England review (The Kark Review) into standards for NHS Directors.

My aim is to help healthcare organisations reduce harm, save lives and money, and retain staff, by developing trusting cultures in which humanity and integrity are expected and displayed at all levels.

What I offer

I offer a structured online training course in wilful blindness. I provide interactive group workshops for healthcare leaders, practitioners, freedom-to-speak-up guardians, students, and future leaders, online or face to face. I provide bespoke consultancy and am available for speaking and presenting.

I draw on my lived experience and use the scars I have acquired as a force for positive change. I approach these sensitive topics with empathy, compassion, a degree of humour where appropriate, and an in-depth understanding of the operating environment.