What we do

1. Crises and issues:

  • The case of Beverly Allitt. Nurse Allitt was convicted of murdering four children and severely injuring nine at Grantham and Kesteven Hospital between 1991 and 1993. We worked with health authorities in Lincolnshire to launch the independent report into the case.
  • The trial of Rosemary West. Rose West was convicted on nine charges of murder, including that of her own daughter, in Gloucester in 1995. We worked with all the public authorities, health, police, education, social services, to offer the facts behind the case to the public on the day she was convicted.
  • Following the Kennedy report into the death of children undergoing heart surgery at Bristol Royal Infirmary in 1998 we advised the General Medical Council on PR issues.
  • We were brought in to advise Alder Hey Hospital in 1999 after the scandal of children’s organs being retained without their parents’ permission.
  • Harold Shipman. We worked with the local health authority to present the background to the case of Harold Shipman, convicted of killing 15 of his patients in January 2003.
  • The 'Camden Ripper'. Anthony Hardy was convicted of killing three women in Camden in 2002. We worked with health authorities to launch the independent report into Hardy’s care and treatment by mental health services.
  • Daniel Gonzalez. Gonzalez was found guilty at the Old Bailey in March 2006 of murdering four people in a savage series of knife attacks in Sussex and London. We worked with the local mental health trust to present the background to the case at the end of the trial.
  • The team worked with South West London and St George’s Mental Health Trust after the killing by patient John Barrett of a stranger in Richmond Park. The independent inquiry report was published in November 2006.
  • The team has also worked on around 12 similar mental health homicide cases in recent years.
  • We worked with Northwick Park Hospital over the 'elephant man' drugs trial case undertaken by a pharmaceutical company on their premises in 2006.

2. Major incidents

  • The JSPR team worked with local hospitals caring for the victims of six train crashes, including Potters Bar and Ladbroke Grove.
  • We also helped hospitals in London caring for victims of the nail bombing at the Admiral Duncan pub.
  • We worked with hospitals in the capital handling cases following the four suicide bombs on July 7 2005.
  • And we helped Hillingdon Hospital manage the media after the bus crash on the A40 in 2007.


3. Hospital reconfiguration proposals

We developed communications plans, including drafting consultation documents and handling media calls for:

  • The West London plan to move specialist services to central London.
  • Local NHS on hospital reconfiguration in south west Kent.
  • Local NHS on hospital changes in mid Sussex and Brighton
  • The reconfiguration of services in Berkshire
  • Liaising with Trusts over proposals to merge hospitals in north central London
  • Coordinate Trusts over proposed acquisitions in north London

… and many more reconfiguration proposals in London and the home counties, as well as Lincolnshire.