Who is Simon Wessely?

[Robert 1973]

Poison water BBC 2 9pm Weds

Camelford water scandal July 1988 - will be on iplayer afterwards

Now on iplayer:

Poison Water

When tap water turns toxic in Cornwall, a public health disaster leads to accusations of a cover-up and the search for the truth. The story of Britain’s biggest mass poisoning.

www.bbc.co.uk

I’ve not watched it yet. I hope SW’s role is highlighted. Regardless, I wonder if it would be worth contacting the film makers to see if they might be interested in doing a film about what he’s been up to since.

From the BBC website:

Credits​

Role	Contributor
Director	Hannah Lowes
Producer	Emma Hughes
Producer	Kezia Sheard
Production Manager	Leanne Codd
Executive Producer	Louis Bamber
Executive Producer	Will Anderson
Editor	Danny Collins
Editor	Felix Buckley
Production Coordinator	Maddie Ireland
Production Company	KEO Films Ltd
Production Company	Button Down

5 star review of Poison Water in the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-...medium=&utm_source=Bluesky#Echobox=1764202482

 

[MEMarge]

Wessely was unfortunately not mentioned. However a report at the time - the Clayton report, referred to in Hansard below clearly aims to minimise the effect of early issues and raises anxiety as an explanation in below (my bolding)

Hansard https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1989/jul/20/lowermoor-incident-group

"Mr. Freeman
The report of the Lowermoor incident health advisory group is being published today. The group was set up in January 1989 at my request to provide independent expert advice to the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly district health authority on the implications for the health of the population in the Camelford area following the contamination of their drinking water in July 1988. Copies of the report have been sent to the Department of Health and to the Department of the Environment, and I am placing copies in the Library. I am grateful to Dame Barbara Clayton and her colleagues for their very thoughtful and authoritative report.

Hansard: https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1989/jul/20/lowermoor-incident-group

"The Government welcome the group's advice that no long-term effects on health are expected. The group's main findings are that:

(i) early symptoms, which were mostly gastrointestinal disturbances, rashes and mouth ulcers and which appeared to be mostly mild and short-lived, can most probably be attributed to the incident. Other causes such as viral infections cannot be discounted for some of the cases.
(ii) it is not possible to attribute the very real current health complaints to the toxic effects of the incident, except insofar as they are the consequence of the sustained anxiety naturally felt by many people. A number of factors have contributed to this anxiety, particularly in relation to long-term effects, and these are addressed in the report."
Hansard https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1989/jul/20/lowermoor-incident-group"

I cannot find the full report, nor who the other authors were. In the film there is a brief shot of 4 people, including Clayton -but I don't know who the others were.

However I know how brilliant the S4ME sleuths are at finding relevant info.

 

[Lou B Lou]

Editorial. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 1995

'The Legend of Camelford: Medical Consequences of a Medical Accident'

Anthony S David and Simon C Wessely

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.simonwessely.com/Downloads/Publications/Other_p/camelford.pdf

.

Overview from a distance of 25 years. With some details of post mortems.

25 years after UK's worst case of mass poisoning

Some time around 4.30pm on July 6, 1988, 20 tons of aluminium sulphate was dumped directly into the household water supply of Camelford, Cornwall.

www.dailymail.co.uk

.

 

[Peter T]

Editorial. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 1995

'The Legend of Camelford: Medical Consequences of a Medical Accident'

Anthony S David and Simon C Wessely

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.simonwessely.com/Downloads/Publications/Other_p/camelford.pdf

.

Overview from a distance of 25 years. With some details of post mortems.

25 years after UK's worst case of mass poisoning

Some time around 4.30pm on July 6, 1988, 20 tons of aluminium sulphate was dumped directly into the household water supply of Camelford, Cornwall.

www.dailymail.co.uk

.

I could not get the above link to the David & Wesseley (1995) article to work, but this shorter form got me to the article - https://www.simonwessely.com/Downloads/Publications/Other_p/camelford.pdf

[edited to correct typos]

 

[Lou B Lou]

I could not get the above link to the David & Wesseley (1995) article to work, but this shorter form got me to the article - https://www.simonwessely.com/Downloads/Publications/Other_p/camelford.pdf

[edited to correct typos]

Thanks Peter.

 

[MEMarge]

​

"Water Pollution (Camelford)​

Mr. Neale
Sharethis specific contribution
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in providing a small group of independent experts to advise the local health authority on the health consequences of the water pollution in the Camelford area of north Cornwall.
Mr. Freeman
Sharethis specific contribution
Professor Dame Barbara Clayton from Southampton university medical school, Professor G. A. Rose of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Professor J. A. Edwardson of the MRC neurochemical pathology unit, Newcastle, and Professor R. F. Packham from the Water Research Centre and Imperial college, London, have agreed to form an expert advisory group. I am most grateful to Dame Barbara Clayton, who will chair the advisory group, and the other members for undertaking this task at such short notice.The group, to be known as the Lowermoor incident health advisory group, will advise the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly district health authority on the implications for the health of the population in the Camelford area following the contamination of their drinking water in July 1988. They will start work as soon as possible, and their report will be available to Ministers and made public."

Above is from written answers: Hansard 13 Jan 1989 - need to keep scrolling down to find it.

https://hansard.parliament.uk/%E2%80%8CCommons/1989-01-13/debates/355d4955-c700-49c1-9542-10b5b9d820e6/WrittenAnswers

​

 

[Sly Saint]

not about Camelford and I'm not sure if this has already been posted?

King’s College accused of 'silencing people' over hidden X reply on controversial professor

A tweet about Professor Simon Wessely's disputed work was found in the 'hidden replies' section

thetab.com

 

[Sly Saint]

Professor Sir Simon Wessely awarded Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in King's Birthday Honours | King's College London

Sir Simon Wessely, Professor of Psychological Medicine at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London has been awarded the honour for services to mental health.

www.kcl.ac.uk

We are delighted to announce that Professor Sir Simon Wessely (@WesselyS) has been awarded a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in this year's King’s 2025 Birthday Honours.

Professor Derek Tracy, the Trust’s Chief Medical Officer, congratulated Sir Simon on his award.

He said: “'I was frankly surprised to learn that there was an award left that Simon hadn't won.

“He's never been afraid to tackle controversial issues - indeed some might argue he's at his best in that space - with inevitable wit and humour never veiling genuine insight and thoughtfulness. We are truly delighted for him at the Trust, and I hope he has enough room on his mantlepiece, trophy cabinet, or wherever he keeps his many deserved awards.”

Highest honour for Trust psychiatrist | Our blog - South London and Maudsley

Read the latest stories from our staff and service users on our blog.

slam.nhs.uk

Accusing Camelford residents of somatisation and the media of irresponsible reporting of this water poisoning incident, Wessely blamed those affected of sensationalising their symptoms in order to get compensation. Simon Wessely et al have brought psychiatry into terminal disrepute. Wessely appears to specialise in cover-ups designed purely to save government funds.

Victoria Ward, Daily Telegraph / The One Click Group

Camelford Poisoned Water Scandal Cover-Up Erupts Again In Coroner's Court | International | Before It's News

beforeitsnews.com

 

[Peter T]

I could not get the above link to the David & Wesseley (1995) article to work, but this shorter form got me to the article - https://www.simonwessely.com/Downloads/Publications/Other_p/camelford.pdf

[edited to correct typos]

Interesting Wessely cited the limited ill health outcomes from an 1993 oil spill off Shetland, claiming better public health PR and ‘dour Gaelic stoicism*’ there supported his psychosomatic interpretation of the Camelford situation, ignoring the fact that poison in the water supply might be expected to have very different consequences than crude oil on your beaches. Though there are sheep in the islands feeding on sea weed, the islanders don’t normally drink sea water.

Indeed comparison of the Shetland and Camelford situations could equally be used to support a biomedical explanation of the latter, and argue against a psychosomatic interpretation.

*Note the Shetland Islanders, previously part of Pictish territory then part of Norway for longer than they were part of a fully independent Scotland, may not endorse this Gaelic adjective. But then why let accuracy get in the way of telling a good story.

 

[NelliePledge]

Maybe someone will send letters about this aspect of Camelford cover up to the Documentary team, the Guardian and other “ broadsheet newspapers” (to use the old terminology)

 

[Robert 1973]

Maybe someone will send letters about this aspect of Camelford cover up to the Documentary team, the Guardian and other “ broadsheet newspapers” (to use the old terminology)

I’ve wittten to the producers of Poison Water.

 

[MEMarge]

I’ve wittten to the producers of Poison Water.

Thanks so much for doing this Robert