BREAKING: We have a fire (mostly smoke) in Ward 47 Lincoln Wing, St James Hospital, Leeds. Massive effort to evacuate bed-ridden patients from acute critical care wing. Hospital security on scene, no emergency services as yet.

Fire Brigade now on scene and fire extinguished. Smoke is still an issue. Everyone accounted for and safe. Great work by all staff. It may be Ward 46 (the other end to where I’ve been a patient since Saturday).

Just spoken to lead fire officer after producing my press card (whilst in night attire). ‘No comment. Enquiries are ongoing’.

I have just been visited by Amy Polson from @nhsleeds who describes herself as ‘a Matron’. She objected to my approach to the fire officer and [falsely] claims that I went through a closed fire door (it was open) whilst a fire was in progress (it had been out several minutes).

Ms Polson, also claimed I ‘put other patients and staff at risk’ by asking a fireman a question. As an indicator of her credibility and truthfulness, she claims that 500,000 work at St James’ Hospital. Her conduct was aggressive, unattractive and utterly pointless.

But this is the NHS that so many whistleblowers and justice campaigners know agonisingly well. The blame shifting, and deflection of civil claims, begins even before the smoke has cleared.

Ms Polson, when asked, could not produce a document or policy that removes the right of a patient to follow his vocation. Nobody was complaining when I was pushing trolleys, carrying acutely ill patients, away from danger area and making sure others less mobile were out first.

Just had another bedside visit. Not to enquire as to my condition or advance any necessary clinical procedure, but to ask me to remove the previous tweets in this thread. ‘They breached patient confidentiality’ says the ward sister.

There was also an inference that the tweets weren’t true. Asked to point to any part of any of the posts that weren’t factual the Ward 46 sister was not able to answer.