I am grateful to Ian Collins and the team at Talk TV for inviting me back this afternoon to discuss #whistleblowing in the context of the Lucy Letby Scandal.
To be clear I am not standing in either camp here, it’s for the defense and CPS to examine the evidence and decide what action needs to be taken and quickly! If a miscarriage of justice has happened or is suspected time cannot be wasted.
Having spoken at length with whistleblowers at the Countess of Chester Hospital I am in no doubt that all of the warnings were all there, shortages of staff, under qualified or inexperienced staff, too many admissions the list goes on.
All of these concerns were put in context about patient safety.
These concerns were escalated up to senior managers who effectively threw policy and procedures out of the window, ignoring concerns or pitting staff against each other to avoid taking the right action. They made wrong decision upon wrong decision sending out the message to staff that speaking up was terminal for careers and for babies.
Managers ignored and dismissed concerns from parents, they too were sacraficed to protect the reputation of the hospital.
Whistleblowers are the vital componant of a fair and transparent society, they are the informed insiders, they are the people who put others first. They really are the first and last line of defence against crime, corruption and cover up.
Whistleblowers are the heros, but they need everyone to stand with them and be heros too. Which is why we are asking everyone to support our call for reform of whistleblowing legislation in the UK starting with an Office of the Whistleblower.
🎯 A safe and confidential reporting platform with power to investigate concerns, identify patterns and escalate.
🎯 A champion for whistleblowing holding power to account, educating, setting, monitoring and enforcing standards.
For anyone who says it’s too expensive put yourself in the place of the babies who died in this entirely preventable scandal and all the other scandals…..
Support comes in many forms WhistlelbowersUK relies on the generosity of the public to fund its activities, you can start by backing our calls for an #OfficeOftheWhistleblower
