When patients are left to blow the whistle on unsafe care

Summary

This short blog highlights the situations where patients, carers, parents and relatives are failed by healthcare systems and by the leadership. They are left to stand alone against powerful institutions, because when staff speak up and 'blow the whistle' it often results in retaliation. Investigating and resolving the patient safety issue then becomes buried under an employment issue.

Content

The Protection for Whistleblowing Bill takes this agenda forward in a meaningful and measurable way. An Office of the Whistleblower will help everyone who has an interest in removing barriers to safe care. An Office of The Whistleblower will help confirm, identify, promote and follow up on actions to resolve root causes of systemic patient safety failings. This includes building on what is already in place.

Some of the benefits of the Protection for Whistleblowing Bill, from a healthcare perspective, include that the Office of the Whistleblower will be:

• Accessible to members of the public who blow the whistle.
• Providing support for genuine whistleblowers whoever they are e.g., clients, patients, carers, relatives, contractors.
• Providing mechanisms to ensure that the substance of whistleblowing reports is investigated.
• Ensuring the failings identified by the whistleblower are followed up with action.
• Provision so that the whistleblower knows the outcome.
• Scrutiny of the regulators’ approach to whistleblowing and related actions.
• Ensuring consistent use of accredited investigators and appropriately skilled expert witnesses.
• Enforcement powers.

About the author

Following a varied career, I returned to clinical practice and began teaching in 2002. Prior to this I worked in the public and private sector in healthcare, leading clinical I.T. projects, as an interim manager in a troubleshooting role and as a senior strategic services consultant. Soon after my return to practice I was shocked to find out that raising and escalating genuine patient safety concerns has become problematic. Staff who blow the whistle are subject to victimisation, retaliation and blacklisting. Patient safety concerns become buried under employment issues. As a result, exploring and resolving the original concerns takes a back seat.