The report says Jimmy Savile's charitable work with Stoke Mandeville was encouraged by Margaret ThatcherGetty
Jimmy
Savile was given "unprecedented" power at Stoke Mandeville hospital
because of endorsements and fundraising from former prime minister
Margret Thatcher.
An independent report reveals how Savile abused
63 patients at the Buckinghamshire hospital, including one girl aged as
young as eight who he raped up to 10 times and an 11-year-old cancer sufferer.
The
report stated how Savile had "virtually unrestricted access" to the
hospital 24 hours a day, with his behaviour seemingly "tolerated" by
staff because of his contribution to the organisation. This was despite
it being an "open secret" that Savile acted inappropriately towards
patents and visitors at the hospital.
One member of staff, Sister
Cherry [now dead], is reported to have told one victim who was screaming
after being assaulted by Savile how he "would do not do such a dreadful
thing and that he raised a great deal of money for the hospital".
Between 1972 and 1985, nine informal verbal and one formal report were made against Savile which were neither "taken seriously or escalated to senior management".
In
1980, Savile was appointed by Thatcher to oversee the funding and
rebuilding of the hospital's National Spinal Injuries Centre (NCIS)
despite no previous experience of managing a project of this kind.
In
1981, Savile visited Thatcher to show her the architect's drawings for
the NSIC and is said to have asked the government for a cash donation as
a "goodwill" gesture. Thatcher asked whether an amount of £1m would be
sufficient.
The report said that Thatcher's advisers believed any
government support should be in the form of a symbolic gesture only,
rather than significant financial support.
"The prime minister, however, continued to pursue a government contribution for the appeal," the report said.
"Eventually
on 31 December 1981, despite the prime minister wishing to donate £1m,
Norman Fowler, the new secretary of state for social services, agreed to
donate the sum of £500,000 to the Jimmy Savile Stoke Mandeville
Hospital Trust appeal."
Patrick Jenkin, then secretary of state
for industry, said: "It was perfectly clear that the decision that the
government would put half a million pounds into the Trust Fund came from
her [Thatcher], and when she spoke the Treasury had little option but
to accept that." Former
secretary of state for social services, Norman Fowler, with the
government's £500,000 contribution to Savile's Stoke Madeville appeal GettyThe
report said witnesses were "at pains to say" that this level of
endorsement from Thatcher for Savile "should not be underplayed".
It
added: "From 1980 Savile's relationship with Stoke Mandeville Hospital
underwent a significant change when he was appointed by Government
Ministers and the Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS) to
fundraise for, and lead the commissioning process of, the new National
Spinal Injuries Centre (NSIC). This placed Savile in a position of
authority."
"Whilst Savile ensured the NSIC was rebuilt on time
and within budget, no formal planning processes were deployed and from
the outset it was apparent that the NSIC was not financially viable in
the long-term. Savile became an ever increasingly difficult and
trouble-making influence at the hospital.
"There were two major
consequences. First, there was a dependence upon Savile's charitable
funds for the next twenty years which ensured his continued position of
power and influence at the hospital which was often detrimental to
service management. Second, Savile was able to access a new cohort of
victims for his sexual abuse in the guise of young charity fundraisers
to the hospital."
Following the publication of the report, Hattie
Llewelyn-Davies, chairwoman of Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust,
apologised to the vicitms and assured Stoke Mandeville is now a "very
different place".
She added: "On behalf of the NHS organisations
that existed at the time and those that exist today, I want to say sorry
to all of Jimmy Savile's victims.
"I know how difficult it must have been for you to come forward and tell your stories after such a long time."
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