Received from: HCSA
Congress calls for better and active safeguards for the protection of whistle-blowers in the NHS and other public services. It is unacceptable that workers in the NHS and other public services continue to fear that they risk their jobs, or the application of other detriments, because of raising genuine concerns about patient care and shortcomings in service provision.
The extant and welcome ‘Speaking up’ policy which was formulated and
implemented through the NHS national staff council has set out the goal of a
protective and encouraging workplace environment for those who genuinely sound the alarm about shortcomings in care and service provision. But charters such as these need to be solidly underpinned by the creation of a purposely designated agency that is charged with the active protection of genuine whistleblowers in the NHS and all public services and that has:
i. truly independent leadership and oversight
ii. a remit that allows it to scrutinise all actions taken to address the concern(s) that have been raised
iii. powers to review and amend all adverse circumstances that might befall the genuine whistle-blower at any time after concerns have been raised.
Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association