Reprinted Before Publication: Plotting a Route for Sans Everything

Abstract

Barbara enthused journalists to publicise AEGIS’s concerns, to enlighten the public and to pave the way for Sans Everything. In early 1967, the Ministry began to prepare for the outburst of public opinion which it predicted would follow publication. The Ministry prioritised protecting staff against criticism, rather than safeguarding patients from poor care, and fumbled over establishing appropriate inquiry processes. Directly related to Sans Everything, unrest surfaced among staff in other hospitals, such as at Ely in Cardiff, from where a nursing assistant wrote to the News of the World describing similar conditions. The newspaper forwarded his report to the Ministry. Overall, the press supported AEGIS and criticised the Ministry and the NHS leadership, which continued to defend hospital standards.