UK Government looking into making whistleblowing easier in NHS
Yesterday, the Government answered an Urgent Question on the abuse and deaths in secure mental health units at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys (TEWV) NHS Foundation Trust.
The independent report was commissioned following the death of three teenage girls at two hospitals within the TEWV trust. All three suffered with complex mental health needs, however the report concluded that their deaths were the result of “little or no compassion or care” within the trust.
Concerns about the care these girls were receiving were raised by the parents, but they were not responded to appropriately and was identified as a contributing factor. This is a clear example of a major failing of the Public Interest Disclosure Act (PIDA), its singular application to workers. Despite any person being one conversation away from becoming a whistleblower, you are only protected if you are an employee.
In this instance, there were no formal routes for the parents to express their concerns about the care their daughters were receiving. In other circumstances it could be a contractor finding evidence of a crime, or a school governor discovering impropriety in their institution.
Maria Caulfield, Minister for Mental Health and Women’s Health, outlined how in light of this report and others there would be a wider review of mental health including the system for raising concerns. She was clear when she told the House “I want to look at things such as making the whistleblowing process easier”, which ties into the introduction of the patient safety commissioner. WBUK supports the Government in its action to make whistleblowing safer for everyone, including concerned parents in healthcare settings.
The Office of the Whistleblower represents a societal solution. Healthcare is only one sector where only employees are even slightly protected when whistleblowing under UK law. It is time to make the UK a global leader in protecting whistleblowers. The Office of the Whistleblower, and the Whistleblowing Bill, will make this a reality.
