NHS Improvement 1 April 2016
- A national integrated whistleblowing policy that will help standardise the way NHS organisations should support staff who raise concerns and contribute to the need to develop a more open and supportive culture that encourages staff to raise any issues of patient care quality or safety.
- The policy will ensure:
- NHS organisations encourage staff to speak up and set out the steps they will take to get to the bottom of any concerns
- organisations will each appoint their own whistleblowing guardian, an independent and impartial source of advice to staff at any stage of raising a concern
- any concerns not resolved quickly through line managers are investigated
- investigations will be evidence-based and led by someone suitably independent in the organisation, producing a report which focuses on learning lessons and improving care
- whistleblowers will be kept informed of the investigation’s progress
- high level findings are provided to the organisation’s board and the policy will be annually reviewed and improved
- All NHS organisations in England are expected to adopt this policy as a minimum standard to help to normalise the raising of concerns for the benefit of all patients.
- Guidance for primary care providers is being considered separately and is now available for consultation here: https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/consultation/wwhistleblowing
- The consultation is open until 6 May 2016 and the responses will help inform the final policy later this year.
