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Found 317 results
  1. Content Article
    The contents of this book are based on the experiences of: NHS patients who have experienced avoidable harm, and associated cover-ups. NHS staff who have suffered detriment for speaking out on behalf of the above. The author's own experience as an employee of St George's hospital, Tooting, and doing locum work at hospitals in London and the Home Counties. Written from the perspective of an NHS Operating Department Practitioner, and whistleblower, NHS Dirty Secrets describes how the NHS cover-up culture is a risk to patient safety, and how employment and promotion practices are skewed in favour of those most likely to support the NHS cover-up culture. The NHS cover-up culture, itself, is decomposed and analysed, with examples given as to the methods used to support the hiding of issues, such as patient deaths, from public scrutiny.
  2. News Article
    Over 90 civil society groups and individual signatories are calling on all public authorities and private sector organisations to protect those who expose harms, abuses and serious wrongdoing during the COVID-19 crisis. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 emergency, worrying reports concerning hospitals and public authorities retaliating against healthcare professionals for speaking out about the realities of COVID-19 have emerged worldwide, from China to the United States. Transparency International urges decision-makers at the highest level to resist the temptation to control the flow of information and instead offer assurances to individuals who witness corruption and wrongdoing to blow the whistle. Marie Terracol, Whistleblowing Programme Coordinator at Transparency International said: “The need for transparency and integrity, heightened in this time of crisis where abuses can cost lives, illustrates the essential role of those who speak up in the public interest." “National governments, public institutions and companies should listen to workers and citizens who come forward and report abuses they witness and protect them from retaliation, including in countries which still do not offer robust legal whistleblower protection. If people feel they can safely make a difference by speaking up, more instances of abuses will be prevented and addressed, and lives might be saved.” Read full story Source: Transparency International. 22 April 2020
  3. Content Article
    Mary Robinson, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Whistleblowing, has written to Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hannock. The APPG for Whistleblowing has been examining evidence surrounding the issues facing whistleblowers over the last two years, and more recently during the coronavirus pandemic. The APPG has concluded that the crisis has exposed some terminal failings within the existing whisleblowing framework, particularly around transparency and accountability.
  4. Content Article
    A blog from hub topic lead Hugh Wilkins on the recent messages from NHS England and NHS Improvement leaders reminding everyone, including those at board level, of the duty and right of staff to speak up about anything which gets in the way of patient care and their own wellbeing. Hugh highlights the real risk of reprisals against some staff who have raised concerns in the public interest, and points out that much needs to change before NHS staff can be sure that it is safe for them to speak up.
  5. Content Article
    Effective speaking up arrangements protect patients and improve the experience of NHS workers. The guidance set out by Sir Robert Francis in his Freedom to Speak Up review, was to develop a more open and supportive culture that encourages staff to speak up about any issues of patient care, quality or safety.  In this blog I want to explore why this hasn’t been happening in Trusts up and down the country, despite everyone wanting a safe culture to speak up, no more so than myself, a clinician who has a keen interest in patient and staff safety. Sir Robert Francis laid out six principles for Trusts to follow in his review of speaking up in NHS Trusts in 2015. I would like to reflect on the times when I have spoken up about patient safety issues and the responses I have had when I have raised them.  I will use Francis’ six principles to frame the blog. 
  6. News Article
    Doctors have warned that a “culture of fear” in the NHS may prevent life-saving lessons being learned about COVID-19 after a leading hospital consultant emailed scores of staff saying those responsible for “leaks” would be found and fired. Dr Daniel Martin OBE, head of intensive care for serious infectious diseases at the Royal Free hospital, emailed a report to colleagues at the peak of the pandemic with a note claiming that the trust would “track any leaks to the media” and then “offer you the chance to post your P45 on Facebook for all to see.” The email, which described journalists at one respected newspaper as “parasites”, was sent to dozens of nurses and junior doctors. It has been examined by Liberty Investigates, the investigative journalism unit of the civil rights group Liberty, and the Guardian, after being shared by a recipient who said they found the language “intimidating”. Whistleblowers UK, the non-profit group, said it had been made aware of the email by a separate individual who was also concerned about its contents. The Royal Free London trust said the email was “badly worded” and did not reflect trust policy. However, the trust said it was an open and transparent organisation that “does everything it can to encourage our staff to raise concerns and, if necessary, whistleblow”. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 22 June 2020
  7. Content Article
    The National Guardian's Office (NGO) published a summary of speaking up learning and actions in response to its review into the handling of speaking up cases at Whittington Health NHS Trust. The review, carried out at the end of last year, revealed encouraging areas of good practice. There were also areas of improvement recommended by the review that highlighted issues with the wording and application of the trust policy relating to speaking up, support and feedback to those who speak up, and the way in which the trust manages grievances. The review summary details the NGO’s findings and actions of the trust.
  8. Content Article
    This article, published in Drug Safety, Robust, argues that active cooperation and effective, open communication between all stakeholders is essential for ensuring regulatory compliance and healthcare product safety; avoiding the necessity for whistle-blowing; and, most essentially, meeting the transparency requirements of public trust.
  9. Content Article
    While healthcare workers fight on behalf of us all against COVID-19, they can still risk their jobs for blowing the whistle on dangerous practices and wrongdoing. In fact whistleblowing and the global crisis caused by COVID-19 are closely intertwined. We know from staff at whistleblower helplines that healthcare is the sector from which they get most calls. But it can be extremely difficult for healthcare staff to effectively report problems.  In this blog, Professor Kate Kenny and Professor Marianna Fotaki discuss how drawing attention to wrongdoing and risks has long been a problem, forcing staff to become whistleblowers, often at high personal cost to themselves. However, healthcare whistleblowers need help to speak out, now more than ever now, when timely disclosures can help prevent major disasters. Building transparent and fit-for-purpose channels for disclosing and preventing wrongdoing is key for achieving this. Senior healthcare managers, politicians, and unions must also fight hard to be the voices of frontline healthcare staff who struggle to draw attention to serious issues they encounter at work.
  10. Content Article
    Our NHS staff are doing fantastic work to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and keep essential services going – their hard work and dedication during this difficult time is remarkable. As the NHS Chief Executive Sir Simon Stevens made clear in his letter of 29 April 2020 to NHS chief executives, it is important to remind everyone of the duty – and right – of those who work in the NHS to speak up about anything which gets in the way of patient care and worker wellbeing. Hear what Prerana Issar, the first NHS Chief People Officer, has to say in her blog. See also our hub resources on Whistleblowing and Speak Up Guardians.
  11. Content Article
    The coronavirus pandemic has sparked reports of NHS workers being warned, threatened or disciplined for speaking up about the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing for coronavirus and similar worries raised in the care sector. It underlines the need for a shift in attitudes in UK workplaces to whistleblowers, underpinned by an overhaul of the law to afford them greater protection, according to Elizabeth Gardiner, the new chief executive of the whistleblowing charity, Protect, in this blog in the Guardian. "We’ve heard direct from some care sector workers who have been threatened with disciplinary aciton if they persist in raising concerns," says Elizabeth. "Whistleblowers are a safety valve – it’s everyone’s business to reveal dangerous working practices." “What we would like to see is a proactive duty on employers to protect whistleblowers from being victimised,” she says. “That would be the sort of cultural shift that we’re looking for.”
  12. News Article
    More than 170 carers have called a whistleblowing helpline since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, according to a report that highlights the voices of frontline workers and lays bare a catalogue of safety concerns. Compassion in Care, which operates the helpline for care workers, says it is seeing the whistleblowing process move at “unprecedented speed” as the coronavirus crisis unfolds, with many concerns being ignored. With the coronavirus death toll mounting in care homes, the charity’s report flags the “horrendous” unsafe conditions workers are facing amid concerns over lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as the impact on carers’ mental health. One whistleblower likens the situation to a “war zone” with people struggling to breathe, while another describes the pain of not having the time, because of the overwhelming workload, to even hold distressed residents’ hands. In a new report, titled When the Silence Wins, Compassion in Care’s founder, Eileen Chubb, who is herself a former care whistleblower, writes: “During this crisis I have experienced the whistleblowing process moving at unprecedented speed, at such a high-volume and involving whistleblowing issues that are without exception extremely serious." “What is emerging from these cases is a lack of action by employers in response to genuine concerns." Read full story Source: The Guardian, 6 May 2020
  13. Content Article
    Freedom to Speak Up Guardians are changing the conversation about what it means to speak up in health. With a network of over 1,100 guardians and champions in England, workers are being supported and positive actions are being taken as a result. Speaking up and listening up should be a natural part of our conversations with colleagues, managers and each other. In health, as in all sectors, the best leaders understand the importance of listening to workers who are the eyes and ears of an organisation. But in health it is even more crucial as speaking up can be a matter of life or death. A positive environment and a supportive culture are key elements of the NHS People Plan. The Freedom To Speak Up Index, a new metric taken from the NHS Annual staff survey, shows that a positive speaking up culture may be correlated with higher performing organisations.  The National Guardian Freedom to Speak UP launched the 100 Voices campaign: to share the stories that describe the current reality of speaking up in health. This document highlights and shares best practice in speaking up. Some have been provided by Freedom to Speak Up Guardians, others by workers themselves. Within these pages you will hear a selection of voices. They describe their experiences of speaking up, the impact this has had and how it has led to positive change.
  14. News Article
    A London NHS trust has been ordered to pay a leading heart doctor more than £870,000 after he was sacked for whistleblowing about safety concerns following a patient’s death. Dr Kevin Beatt, one of the UK’s most respected consultant cardiologists, was fired from Croydon Health Services in 2012 after reporting staff shortages, inadequate equipment and workplace bullying at the trust. The tribunal heard Dr Beatt’s dismissal “had a devastating effect on his career and his wellbeing”. He told the Evening Standard: “I was forced into a position where I lost my career for trying to highlight dangerous practices in the NHS. It has taken seven years to get to this point, which is just appalling. It has been a huge ordeal and I have the greatest sympathy for any whistleblower who has to go through something like this.” Read full story Source: Evening Standard, 11 March 2020
  15. News Article
    Executives in charge of the health secretary’s crisis-hit local hospital are facing calls to step down after The Sunday Times raised serious questions about attempts to cover up catastrophic medical mistakes. West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds had placed Dr Patricia Mills, one of its most senior consultants, under disciplinary investigation after she had voiced concerns about blunders that had killed one patient and left another seriously brain-damaged. A number of doctors have claimed that a bullying management culture has led to staff being too afraid to speak up about patient safety concerns at the hospital. Executives were accused of being obsessed with maintaining the hospital’s “outstanding” status in annual Care Quality Commission. One of the governors said their were "frustrations and concerns" among his fellow council members that they were being kept in the dark by the hospital's executives. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Sunday Times, 8 March 2020
  16. News Article
    A senior NHS nurse was fired after warning the increased workload on her pressured staff had contributed to a patient’s death. Linda Fairhall, 60, had an unblemished record of almost 40 years’ service when she turned whistleblower at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS trust. In 2015 she raised concerns over a new requirement for district nurses to monitor patients’ prescriptions. She said it meant a sudden increase of around 1,000 extra visits a month for her hard-pressed team of 50 nurses with no extra resources. Over the next 10 months she reported 13 matters, alleging the health or safety of patients and staff was being or was likely to be put at risk. After a patient died in 2016 she claimed it may have been prevented if her concerns had been addressed. She told the trust’s care group director Julie Parks she wished to start the formal whistle-blowing procedure. Soon after she was suspended over allegations of potential gross misconduct relating to her leadership, and then sacked. Dr Henrietta Hughes, the UK’s national NHS guardian, said: “Workers who speak up should be thanked for doing so and the organisation should demonstrate they are taking action to address the issues raised.” North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust said it will appeal the decision. Read full story Source: The Mirror, 2 March 2020
  17. Content Article
    This pay-walled article, published in The Sunday Times, highlights patient safety concerns identified in relation to West Suffolk hospital, with specific reference to two incidences of avoidable patient harm. In the case of Daniel Parsons, a drugs error caused an adverse affect on the functioning of Daniel's heart and led to his death. The coroner for the inquest concluded that Daniel's death could have been avoided if doctors had heeded the early warning signs of anaphylaxis. The second incident highlighted by the authors is that of Paul Farmer, who was left blind and with severe brain damage following avoidable harm. Concerns raised within the article include: Prioritisation of reputation management (an 'outstanding' status) over patient safety Reluctance to investigate Unfair reprisal for staff raising patient safety concerns Lack of response from Health Secretary Matt Hancock. Further reading: Bullying executives left West Suffolk Hospital staff ‘sobbing, shaking, rocking in despair’ (March 2020)
  18. Content Article
    This pay-walled article, published in The Sunday Times, highlights serious concerns raised by staff at West Suffolk Hospital around: unfair reprisal and treatment of staff who raise valid patient safety concerns a prioritisation of reputation over patient safety  bullying behaviour from executives and management.  Further reading: I thought Daniel was safe with the NHS, he wasn't (March 2020)
  19. Content Article
    Roger Kline, Consultant on Workforce Culture, describes the “lifecycle” of a whisltleblower and the stages and steps they will go through. It's one many whistleblowers will recognise in part or in full.
  20. News Article
    A senior district nurse who was unfairly dismissed after blowing the whistle over valid safety concerns has told how the ordeal has left her life in "chaos" and she feels forced to quit the profession for good. Linda Fairhall, who had worked at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust for 38 years, has spoken to Nursing Times about her experiences after she successfully challenged her employer's decision to sack her. Between December 2015 to October 2016, Ms Fairhall raised 13 concerns to the trust regarding staff and patient safety. At the time, she was managing a team of around 50 district nurses in her role of clinical care co-ordinator. Read full story (paywalled) Source: Nursing Times, 17 February 2020
  21. News Article
    A trust unfairly dismissed a senior nurse after she tried to invoke its formal whistleblowing policy, an employment tribunal has ruled. North Tees and Hartlepool Foundation Trust had suspended Linda Fairhall for 18 months without a “meaningful or adequate” explanation prior to her dismissal, the judgment said. Ms Fairhall, who led a team of 50 district nurses in Hartlepool, reported on the trust’s risk register that a “change in policy” by the local authority had directly led to increased workloads for her staff. The change meant staff had to monitor patients who had been prescribed medication “so as to ensure the correct medicines were being taken at the correct time”, the judgment said. She reported numerous concerns to senior management between December 2015 and October 2016, amounting to 13 protected disclosures according to the tribunal, ranging from work-related stress, sickness, absenteeism and a need to retrain healthcare assistants. A patient’s death triggered a meeting involving her and senior managers, which she said could have been prevented had her earlier concerns “been properly addressed”. Ms Fairhall told care group director Julie Parks she wanted to initiate the formal whistleblowing policy on 21 October 2016, before going on annual leave a few days later. When she returned, she was told she had been suspended for 10 days. The judgment, handed down at Teesside Justice Hearing Centre and published last week, added: “No reasonable employer, in all the circumstances of this case, would have conducted the investigation in this manner.” The judgment said the tribunal believed the principal reason for her dismissal was because she had made protected disclosures. It upheld her claim that her dismissal was automatically unfair. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 17 February 2020
  22. Content Article
    I recently wrote a blog for the hub on my experience as a theatre scrub nurse in private healthcare, and what happened to me when I reported a surgeon for dropping an instrument on the floor and reusing it without sterilising it. Following the Paterson Inquiry, I see many similarities in the behaviour and the culture of surgeons and staff in operating theatres. I'd like to share my thoughts.
  23. News Article
    Concerns have been raised that NHS ambulance staff are being "silenced" over bullying allegations. Hundreds of East of England Ambulance Service (EEAS) employees reported bullying in 2018, while 28 non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) have been issued since 2016. The GMB union said the figures showed a "heavy-handed culture". The service said it took bullying and harassment "extremely seriously" and had policies to prevent such behaviour. EEAS faced scrutiny in November when it emerged three members of staff died in 11 days. One, Luke Wright, 24, is believed to have taken his own life. An independent investigation, which dealt in part with bullying claims, has been carried out with the results reported to the trust in January. The 28 NDAs had been made in cases where bullying, harassment or abuse by colleagues had been reported, according to figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. These involved an individual agreement, often with a payment, which prevented the person speaking about their case. In the latest staff survey from 2018, 23% of staff reported bullying, up from 21% in the previous year. The GMB said NDAs were seen as a "method of silencing rather than resolving" and called on the trust to discuss more meaningful ways of dealing with problems. Read full story Source: BBC News, 10 February 2020
  24. News Article
    A police investigation has been launched into an alleged assault against an elderly patient with Alzheimer’s by NHS staff at the troubled East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust. The Independent can reveal nurses and carers at the William Harvey Hospital have been suspended after being filmed by hospital security staff for eight minutes allegedly holding down the man’s arms and legs as well as his face while they inserted a catheter. The trust has confirmed it has launched an investigation and alerted police after the incident on 15 December on the Cambridge J ward at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford. A spokesperson “apologised unreservedly” for the incident and said it was being treated with the “utmost seriousness”. A whistleblower spoke out to The Independent about the incident, fearing it was being covered up by the trust after staff were told “don’t discuss it, don’t refer to it at all”. The senior clinician said they had decided to go public after the “horrific” incident because of the trust’s toxic culture and concerns for the welfare of other patients on wards. Read full story Source: The Independent, 7 February 2020
  25. Content Article
    The Secret Midwife is a heart-breaking, engrossing and important book. Joyful and profoundly shocking, this is the story of birth, straight from the delivery room. The author argues that the system which is supposed to support the midwives and the women they care for is starting to crumble. Short-staffed, over worked and underappreciated – these crippling conditions are taking their toll on the dedicated staff doing their utmost to uphold our NHS, and the consequences are very serious indeed.
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