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Investigation into the Role and Actions of Johnny Savile at Springfield Hospital A report from South West London & St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust Authors: Dr. Ruth Allen, Director of Social Work, SWLSTG Mental Health NHS Trust, BA (Hons), PGDip, MSW, CQSW, EdD. Patrick Bull, Safeguarding Adults Lead SWLSTG Mental Health NHS Trust DipSW, BA, PQSW. Johnny Savile: SWLSTG NHS Trust investigation report – February 2015 1 Contents Key members of the investigation Page 3 1 Introduction Page 4 2 Timeline leading up to the investigation Page 5 3 Internal investigation into matters relating to Johnny Savile Page 6 4 Terms of Reference Page 6 5 Background information on South West London and St George’s Page 8 Mental Health NHS Trust 6 Approach to the investigation Page 9 7 Johnny Savile’s association with Springfield Hospital and Richmond Page 14 Royal Hospital 8 Specific allegations against Johnny Savile Page 18 9 Access to patients and privileges accorded to Johnny Savile at Page 36 Springfield Hospital 10 Jimmy Savile Page 37 11 Policy, practice and culture during the time of Johnny Savile’s Page 37 association with Springfield Hospital 12 Johnny Savile’s association with Richmond Royal Page 39 13 Past and current policies and procedures Page 39 14 Overall analysis and conclusions Page 43 15 Recommendations Page 48 Appendix One: Current applicable policies and procedures in place in the Trust Page 50 Appendix Two: How the terms of reference have been met Page 51 Johnny Savile: SWLSTG NHS Trust investigation report – February 2015 2 Key members of the investigation team: Investigation Commissioner: South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS Trust Board Report Authors: Dr Ruth Allen - Director of Social Work SWLSTG NHS Trust Patrick Bull - Safeguarding Adults Lead SWLSTG NHS Trust Investigation Team from the Trust: Dr Ruth Allen - Director of Social Work Patrick Bull - Safeguarding Adults Lead Investigation Support Team from the Trust: John Hughes - Information Governance Manager Philip Twells - Records Information Officer Joanne Simmons - Claims Manager John Cheetham - Property Manager Sue Denby - Head of Quality Governance Lorna Smith – Social Worker Senior Trust and External Oversight: Jocelyn Fisher - Executive Director of HR/OD and Workforce Transformation Angela Attah - Director of Corporate Affairs and Trust Secretary David Firth - Capsticks, Trust Solicitors Kate Lampard and Verita Johnny Savile: SWLSTG NHS Trust investigation report – February 2015 3 1. Introduction 1 This is the report of an investigation into allegations of historical abuse of patients at Springfield Hospital by Johnny Savile. Johnny, who died in 1998, was the older brother of Jimmy Savile. Operation Yewtree police investigations into allegations against Jimmy Savile (and others) uncovered information about Johnny Savile’s association with Springfield Hospital in Tooting, South London, over 30 years ago. South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust (the Trust) Board have commissioned this investigation at the request of the Department of Health (DH). 2 Johnny Savile worked as a recreation officer at Springfield in the late 1970s up to his dismissal in 1980. He is still remembered by current and ex-staff members, some of whom provided interview evidence for this investigation. Two patient victims, one visitor victim and one staff member victim were also interviewed for this investigation. The investigators and the Trust are very grateful for the assistance and cooperation of all interviewees in preparing this report. 3 This report investigates a total of seven allegations of sexual assault against Johnny Savile between 1978 and 1980, all at Springfield Hospital. Five allegations were made by patients, one by a visitor and one by a staff member. All the victims were adult females at the time of alleged incidents. This report reviews and investigates each alleged incident and considers the implications for the Trust. 4 During an investigation into the activities of Jimmy Savile in another part of the country, a witness also raised concern that Johnny Savile could have provided access to mental health hospitals and care facilities in South West London for his celebrity brother Jimmy in the late 1970s or early 1980s. No evidence has been found in this investigation that Jimmy Savile ever visited or at any time had any direct contact with Springfield Hospital or any of the other mental health care and treatment facilities now run by the Trust. 5 There is evidence that Johnny Savile was seen at the Richmond Royal Hospital in the 1980s as his wife worked in the staff canteen there. They are reported to have shared NHS accommodation on the edge of the hospital site and Johnny Savile is reported to have visited his wife on hospital premises. He was not employed, nor was he a volunteer there when it was an inpatient hospital. No allegations have been made against him in relation to that hospital. Johnny Savile: SWLSTG NHS Trust investigation report – February 2015 4 2. Timeline leading up to this investigation 25th November 2013 6 The DH wrote to the Trust Chief Executive, David Bradley, with information relating to an account of sexual abuse by Johnny Savile against victim 1 (V1), a woman who was an inpatient at Springfield Hospital in 1978. V1 had given a statement to Operation Yewtree in 2013, following the publicity surrounding Jimmy Savile. V1 reported that she believed that other incidents of sexual abuse had occurred in Johnny Savile’s office or elsewhere in Springfield. 28th November 2013 7 Correspondence was received from solicitors Irwin Mitchell representing victim 2 (V2). The letter stated that V2 was a patient of the Day Hospital at Springfield Hospital when on 4th June 1979 Johnny Savile invited her to his office in the hospital and indecently assaulted and raped her. V2 believed that Johnny Savile was employed by the hospital at the time as the recreation and entertainments officer. V2 did not report the rape to the hospital at the time. She had informed a friend of this assault in the early 1980s. V2 reported the rape to the police at Lavender Hill Police Station London SW11 in 1998 and 2005, although it was not recorded as a formal complaint by police at those times. In October 2012, V2 made a further report to Operation Yewtree about the allegation. V2 did not consent for information held by Operation Yewtree to be shared with the Trust. 10th February 2014 8 Staff working on the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT) investigation into Jimmy Savile contacted this Trust seeking to establish whether Johnny Savile had ever worked at Springfield Hospital and, if so, in what capacity and during what period. They also sought confirmation that he was sacked from the hospital as the result of an allegation of rape made by a patient in 1979. 9 The Director of Investigation at LTHT contacted the Trust to establish an employment history for Johnny Savile within the NHS in an attempt to assess the credibility of rumours that existed about him and his brother Jimmy. The investigator at LTHT was seeking information about Johnny’s relationship with his brother, particularly any intelligence or evidence that related to Johnny providing Jimmy with access to a mortuary at Springfield Hospital. Jimmy Savile’s possible interest in mortuaries had been the subject of national media Johnny Savile: SWLSTG NHS Trust investigation report – February 2015 5 stories and a witness to the LTHT investigation suggested the Trust should investigate whether, when Johnny Savile had worked at Springfield Hospital, which had a functioning mortuary in the 1970s, he might have given access to his brother. 10 There was an additional request from the LTHT investigation team for information about any other hospitals that Johnny Savile worked at, particularly in the Richmond and Surrey areas. A witness (W14) contacted the LTHT investigation and claimed she had met Jimmy Savile's brother whilst on a summer work placement at the Richmond Royal Hospital in 1985 and thought he may have worked there. 16th April 2014 11 An email was received from DH providing guidance documents for NHS investigations into Jimmy Savile and confirming that the Trust should investigate allegations against Johnny Savile and whether any link could be established with the activities of his brother, Jimmy. 3rd September 2014 12 Additional information provided by a witness (W18) about Johnny Savile’s presence at Richmond Royal confirmed he was not employed, nor a volunteer there, but frequently visited the site as his wife worked in the staff canteen and they shared accommodation on the edge of the site. 3. Internal Investigation into matters relating to Johnny Savile 13 The Trust Board commissioned this investigation into Johnny Savile’s association with Springfield Hospital, and other hospitals which are now under the management of the Trust and its predecessor bodies, following allegations that he sexually abused patients during his work activities there. The Board has formally accepted this report on behalf of those organisations. 4. Terms of Reference of the investigation 14 These terms of reference are based on the DH Guidance Pack (November 2013) and amended to take account of the scope of the Trust’s investigation. The purpose of this investigation is:- i) To thoroughly examine and account for Johnny Savile’s association with Springfield Hospital and to examine evidence for any association with Richmond Royal hospital or any other health facility currently under the Johnny Savile: SWLSTG NHS Trust investigation report – February 2015 6 control of the Trust, including approval for any roles and employment positions he held and the decision making processes relating to these. ii) To consider the extent to which any such special access and/or privileges and/or lack of supervision and oversight given to Johnny Savile resulted from Johnny Savile’s ‘celebrity’ status, including that derived by Johnny from association with his brother Jimmy Savile, or from Jimmy Savile having any fundraising role within the organisation.

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