Write a report of 2000 words answering the question below. You should base your answer on one of the following case studies

Assignment Brief

• If you are studying a degree related to Health and Social Care, you should base your report on the Gosport War Memorial Hospital case study.
• If you are studying a degree related to Hospitality, Tourism and Events, you should base your report on the Starbucks case study.
• If you are studying a degree related to Business or Law, you should base your report on the Volkswagen case study.

Question: Using your case study as an example, discuss to what extent ethics play a part in the success or demise of an organisation.

What measures can an organisation take to ensure ethical practice?

Gosport War Memorial Hospital Case Study In June 2018, the former health minister, Jeremy Hunt, apologised to the families of 456 patients who had lost their lives due to medical malpractice at Gosport War Memorial Hospital in the 1990s. The 456 elderly patients were given opioid drugs which resulted in them losing their lives. The opioids were prescribed by Dr Jane Barton throughout the 1990s. Consultants knew about the practice but did not intervene. Nurses and pharmacists also knew that something was not right, but did as they were instructed to do. In 1991, senior nurses brought the matter to the attention of the Royal College of Nursing but were advised not to take the matter any further. In 2009, Dr Barton was brought before the General Medical Council (GMC) facing disciplinary action. She was found guilty of serious professional misconduct however she was not struck off the register, though she retired soon after. The families of those who died have been fighting for over 20 years to bring the doctor – and those who did not stop her – to justice by facing criminal charges.

Starbucks Case Study In October 2012, Reuters news agency published a special report investigating major tax avoidance by Starbucks in the UK. The investigation was prompted by the company’s practice of telling those who invest in it that the business is profitable, while claiming that they are making losses in their financial reporting to the tax authorities. Since the company opened its first UK branch in 1998, it had earned more than £3 billion in sales of coffee. Yet, during these first 14 years of business, it paid only £8.6 million in taxes. In the three years leading up to the Reuters investigation, Starbucks did not report any profit and therefore paid no income tax on sales amounting to £1.2 billion. In contrast, a company, such as KFC, who achieved similar revenue of £1.1 billion, paid income tax of £36 million. At the same time, transcripts of investor phone calls over 12 years revealed that officials from the corporation regularly referred to their business as “profitable”. Although there has been no suggestion that such practices are illegal, Michael Meacher MP went on the record to declare that the practice “is certainly profoundly against the interests of the countries where they operate and is extremely unfair ... they are trying to play the taxman ... It is disgraceful.”

Volkswagen Case Study In September 2015, the Volkswagen company publicly admitted that almost 600,000 cars made for the US market had been fitted with “defeat devices”, which is used in order to enable the vehicles to pass emissions tests. Soon after this, they announced that the same devices were fitted on some 11 million cars worldwide. The corporation’s Head of U.S. Operations, Michael Horn, went on to sit before a Congressional Committee to claim that the attempt to deceive the regulators was the work of “a couple of software engineers”. However, it soon became clear that this assertion was not the case. The company went on to admit this when it published a “statement of facts” as part of an agreement with the US Department of Justice. This document clarified that Volkswagen’s engineers had difficulty building a diesel engine that was capable of achieving high performance while keeping emissions within regulatory standards. They engineered a mechanism that reduced emissions while testing was occurring, but that allowed emissions far beyond legal limits while driving on roads. The statement made clear that company managers supported the use of this system on various occasions, despite protests from multiple workers.

Sample Answer

The Role of Ethics in the Success or Demise of an Organisation: A Case Study of Gosport War Memorial Hospital

Introduction

Ethical practice in any organisation is fundamental to its success and reputation. In health and social care, where the wellbeing and safety of individuals are the primary focus, ethics play an even more crucial role. This report will explore how the absence of ethics can lead to the decline or failure of an organisation, using the Gosport War Memorial Hospital scandal as a case study. The discussion will examine how unethical decisions, lack of accountability, and failure to follow professional values affected patients and the organisation as a whole. It will also suggest measures that health and social care institutions can take to ensure ethical practice. Through the case study, this report aims to show that ethics are not only about doing the right thing but are also vital for trust, safety, and long-term sustainability.

Understanding Ethics in Health and Social Care

Ethics refers to the principles and values that guide individuals and organisations in making decisions. In healthcare, ethical principles include autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, honesty, and accountability (Beauchamp & Childress, 2013). Healthcare professionals are expected to follow codes of conduct and act in the best interests of patients.

The NHS Constitution, the NMC Code (2015), and General Medical Council (GMC) standards set clear expectations around patient care, dignity, and safeguarding. A breach of these ethics not only causes harm to patients but also damages public trust in the system.

Overview of the Gosport War Memorial Hospital Case

In the 1990s, over 456 patients at Gosport War Memorial Hospital died after being administered high doses of opioids without medical justification. Dr Jane Barton, a GP at the hospital, was the main prescriber. Although nurses, pharmacists, and consultants were aware of the unusual drug administration, most failed to act or speak out. Whistleblowing efforts by senior nurses were shut down by professional bodies, such as the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). Despite being found guilty of serious professional misconduct, Dr Barton was not struck off the medical register. The case was only publicly acknowledged in 2018 after years of campaigning by the families of victims.

The Role of Ethics in the Downfall of Gosport Hospital

1. Lack of Ethical Leadership

Ethical leadership involves guiding teams through values, honesty, and care. In this case, senior professionals, including consultants and managers, failed to challenge unsafe practices. Leaders chose to ignore concerns instead of investigating them, which shows a serious breakdown of ethical responsibility (Francis, 2013).

2. Failure in Duty of Care

The principle of non-maleficence, which means "do no harm", was clearly violated. Giving high doses of opioids without medical need led to the premature death of vulnerable elderly patients, breaching both ethical and legal standards (Dyer, 2018).

3. Suppression of Whistleblowing

Ethical organisations encourage staff to speak up. In Gosport, nurses who raised concerns were silenced or ignored. According to the NHS Whistleblowing Policy, staff should be protected when reporting risks to patient safety. This did not happen, showing a culture of fear and compliance over ethics (Health Service Journal, 2018).

4. Loss of Public Trust

Ethics are also linked to public confidence. The families of the patients were misled for decades. The delay in recognising the wrongdoing resulted in deep mistrust in the NHS, the police, and other regulatory bodies. Rebuilding this trust has proven difficult and costly.

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