More Protection For NHS Whistleblowers

Doctors, nurses and other NHS workers who blow the whistle will be given clearer protections under changes to the NHS Constitution announced by the Health Secretary on Tuesday.

The changes also include plans to make it clear it is the duty of all NHS workers to report bad practice or any mistreatment of patients receiving care from the health service.

The changes will be incorporated into the NHS Constitution and associated guidelines as to encourage more staff to come forward with concerns.

This move comes as the Care Quality Commission last week exposed poor care standards for the elderly after unannounced inspections of 100 NHS hospitals.

Andrew Lansley said: “The first lines of defence against bad practice are the doctors and nurses doing their best to care for patients. They need to know that they have a responsibility to their patients to raise concerns if they see risks to patient safety. And when they do, they should be reassured that the Government stands full square behind them.

“We are determined to root out the problems in the NHS. That is why I requested a series of unannounced hospital inspections by the Care Quality Commission. Its latest reports showed there are long standing problems and we now want to do all we can to tackle them.”

Changes to the constitution, to be made in early 2012, will also see a pledge that NHS organisations should support staff by ensuring their concerns are fully investigated and that there is someone independent, outside of their team, to speak to.

There will also be more clarity around the existing legal right for staff to raise concerns about safety, malpractice or other wrong doing without suffering any detriment.

The changes, which are part of a series of measures intended to promote whistleblowing, follow a public consultation earlier this year in which there was an overwhelmingly positive response to amend the NHS Constitution in this way.

(DW)