New measures pledge to make Scottish NHS whistleblowing easier

Scotland's health secretary said staff should be able to "speak up without fear"

The Scottish government is introducing a series of measures to make it easier for NHS whistleblowers to come forward.

An independent national officer will be appointed to review how cases of whistleblowing are handled in the NHS in Scotland.

And "whistleblowing champions" will be employed in each health board.

Scotland's Health Secretary Shona Robison wanted all NHS staff to "have the confidence to speak up without fear" about patient safety.

The new measures follow the publication of a report for the UK government - entitled Freedom to Speak Up - on the treatment and experiences of whistleblowers.

In his report, Sir Robert Francis warned that staff too often faced "bullying and being isolated" when they tried to speak out.

In light of those findings, which were published at the beginning of this year, UK ministers said NHS trusts in England would have to appoint a national officer and guardians to help whistleblowers.

COMMENT

By former NHS whistleblower Rab Wilson

"Myself and other very brave individuals have long campaigned for these changes.

"I am delighted that it is happening - but sad that it has taken so long for this to be realised, and for so many honest whistleblowers who have had their lives and careers completely ruined, this is a decision that has come very late in the day.

"But there are questions.

"Will there be a retrospective investigation of the handling of historic whistleblowing cases in Scotland (there are a relatively few number of these cases) and will the whistleblowers be compensated for their dreadful treatment and cost of fighting their cases?

"Who will fill this role [an independent national officer]? I assume that contenders have already been considered? It would need to be someone like a very senior ex-member of the judiciary.

"Also, who will be the non-executive 'whistleblowing' champions introduced in each NHS Scotland board? Well, surely these roles should be filled by whistleblowers themselves - if they wish to apply. They would be the first and obvious choice to fill these roles.

"I will be writing to Shona Robison today to apply for this role at NHS Ayrshire and Arran - who very recently turned me down for a non-executive seat on their board.

"There needs to be a 'national award' created for whistleblowers - this is something to celebrate and be proud of."

The Scottish government said its independent national officer would provide "an independent and external level of review" on the handling of whistleblowing cases dealt with by NHS Scotland.

The whistleblowing champions would help ensure that procedures within boards were working well to support staff in raising any concerns.

Ms Robison said: "It is very important that NHS workers feel they can raise any concerns they may have about patient safety and malpractice, because it helps to improve our health service.

"I am confident that NHS Scotland has robust whistleblowing procedures in place but I want to go further and embed an honest and open reporting culture, where all staff have the confidence to speak up without fear, and with the knowledge that any genuine concern will be treated seriously and investigated properly."