Morag Shedden Wilson RIP

"Morag faced the challenges of any head of department, but had not raised any concerns about the demands."

These the weasel words from the Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester following the suicide of Miss Wilson, a manager at that hospital, who stabbed herself in the chest then jumped to her death from the M60 where it crosses the Manchester Ship Canal.

And what drove this young woman of only thirty-two to her death? The pressures and strains of attempting to implement the Government's 'Agenda For Change' in the NHS.

A horrendously complex matter and merely the latest of a seemingly unending stream - torrent rather - of centrally imposed innovations in the health service, Miss Wilson had despaired of being seen as the ogress whose job it was given to impose on local people what the Department of Health dictated.

She was, it is said, shunned in the works canteen because she was 'blamed' for not providing certain health staff with the gradings to which they believed they were entitled. She was harassed over other matters, she was driven to end her young life.

That is a desperate sadness and my heart goes out to her grieving parents tonight.

Listen to the words of her father:

"They made her feel as if possibly she was to blame for them not being upgraded."

No, it was not one person; it was the way the system was instructed to behave. Caught in the middle with no comprehension from either side, Miss Wilson was left alone to do what she was instructed to do. Managers cared nothing for her and neither did the staff.

This was Blair's doing, truly it was. He set that agenda for incessant, endless change.

And now Gordon Brown walks into Number Ten promising 'Change, change, change.' No I am sorry Mr. Brown, what is needed is some much needed pause from change. Miss Wilson is dead because of change. Stability not change should be the tribute to her too soon ended life.

And let the Wythenshawe Hospital managers hang their heads in shame and let any staff who harassed her be equally ashamed of themselves and their actions.

The Coroner's measured words: "When people introduce these rules and systems, perhaps a bit more thought as to what effect they will have on people might be helpful."

Well, not so much 'people' in any general sense, but on persons. Unique, individual persons.

Miss Morag Sheddon Wilson was one such person.