A new whistleblowing process is being introduced to help staff raise concerns about patient safety or other harm.
The go-live date for the Implementation of the National Whistleblowing Standards (referred to as the Standards) is 1 April 2021. Training is available for NHS Lanarkshire managers and staff.
The two stage process developed by the Independent National Whistleblowing Officer (INWO) focuses on helping staff raise concerns as early as possible and supporting and protecting staff when they do raise concerns, giving them confidence to raise concerns if they see something wrong.
Why we want to hear staff concerns
Everyone benefits if concerns can be raised early and dealt with promptly and professionally. The new process under the Standards is a formal process. But we want staff to feel free to raise concerns before they get to the formal stage, and for managers to listen and learn from staff’s concerns.
Who can raise a concern under the new Standards?
The Standards are applicable across all NHS services and are accessible to anyone working to deliver a service for NHS Lanarkshire, whether directly or indirectly. This includes current and former employees, bank and agency workers, contractors, trainees and students, volunteers and anyone working alongside NHS staff such as those in health and social care partnerships.
How to raise a concern
In many cases, concerns can be resolved through informal conversations with colleagues and managers, and through ordinary or ‘business as usual’ processes (such as incident reporting systems or raising an issue in a shift handover meeting).
Where raising a concern informally is not an option – e.g. where confidentiality is an issue or the issue is complex – you can raise a concern in writing, by phone or in a face-to-face meeting with a line manager or your confidential contact. They will talk to you about the Standards if your concern is about whistleblowing, and any other business as usual and HR processes relevant to your concern. Staff may also contact the INWO at any point in the process for advice and support. The INWO may also conduct an independent external review of the way in which the concern has been addressed.
Who is the confidential contact?
Under the Standards, all staff will have access to a ‘confidential contact’. Their role is to provide a safe space to discuss your concerns and to give you the information you need. They also have the knowledge and skills to help you to raise your concern with the appropriate manager. Staff can also raise concerns directly with their line manager or any other senior member of staff.
NHS Lanarkshire’s confidential contacts are:
Rhonda Bell – Tel 07856 759884 or 01698 752702 Rhonda.bell@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk
Ann Marie Blaney – 01698 366449 AnnMarie.blaney@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk
Abi Campbell – 01355 584418 Abi.campbell@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk
Dr Megha Jani – 01355 585 058 Megha.Jani@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk
Dr Rachna Lalsinghani – 01698 269336 Rachna.lalsinghani@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk
Nsenam Obot – 01698 366523 Nsenam.obot@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk
Training for staff on the National Whistleblowing Standards
We want to ensure staff understand how and when to raise concerns. The INWO’s two learning programmes provide all the information staff will need:
- One for staff who need an overview of the Standards, which takes around an hour to complete.
- One for managers, which takes two to three hours to complete.
The learning programme for managers is longer and more in-depth. This reflects their extra responsibilities for responding to concerns raised under the Standards.
The programmes are hosted on NHS Education Scotland’s Turas website. A certificate is available on completion of each learning programme. Access the training here.
Advice phone line
To assist NHS organisations with implementation, and to ensure those who want to raise concerns have access to all the information they need about raising a concern, the INWO team operate an advice phone line. You can contact the team on:
Phone: 0800 008 6112
Email: INWO@spso.gov.scot
Further information
For further information on how to use the Standards and details of each stage of the Standards, click here.
The National Whistleblowing Standards can be downloaded here.
Further information is available on the INWO website, including FAQs, cases studies and contact details. Further details on whistleblowing is also available here.
