NHS staff 'unaware' of whistleblower hotline, Scottish Labour claims

The government "expects health boards to listen to staff"

A free, confidential hotline for NHS whistleblowers has not been promoted well enough, it has been claimed.

Labour's health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said staff "don't seem to be aware" of the number.

Her claim came after a Scottish Labour freedom of information request found just 16 NHS whistle blowers had come forward in the past five years.

Ministers said the hotline had been well promoted and they "expected health boards to listen to staff".

Ms Baillie said she welcomed the phone number - 0800 008 6112 - being established, but she believed the government needed to do more to make sure its policy was effective.

She told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme: "I think one of the central concerns was that very few staff are aware of it [the hotline], there appears to have been little information distributed - staff just don't seem to be aware.

"But I also think that the second problem is the helpline is dependent on health board policies on the ground that actually support whistleblowers, encourage them to come forward and express their concerns.

"What we are seeing is a culture of fear and intimidation that stops people from stepping forward and saying 'this is a problem'."

The role of whistleblowers was noted in a recent auditors' report into allegations of fiddled waiting-time data in the NHS in Scotland.

Audit Scotland, which scrutinises the way public money is spent, investigated NHS boards after the problem was found in Lothian.

The launch of the phoneline also came in the wake of the Francis Inquiry, which uncovered "appalling" failings at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust in England.

Responding to Ms Baillie's criticism, Health Secretary Alex Neil said: "We already have robust whistle blowing policies in place and expect health boards to listen to staff and ensure that any concerns raised are properly considered and if necessary investigated.

"We have set national standards, agreed with employers, trade unions and professional organisations, that we expect boards to meet or exceed.

"To support and enhance these policies we have also put in place a National Confidential Alert Line for NHS Scotland employees."