Whistleblowing confidential contact Abi Campbell explains her role in providing a safe space for staff who want to raise a concern about patient safety or other harm.
Abi explains: “My role as a confidential contact is to be a first point of contact and support for people who have a concern. Concerns are valid, 100% of the time.
“Concerns can relate to everyday practices and behaviours, or sometimes they are something we witness in areas outside of our normal routine. Concerns can be complex and it’s not always clear what the best route is to raise that concern.
“When someone gets in touch with me, the crucial thing my role allows is a safe space to discuss a confidential matter. We would encourage staff who have concerns to speak to one of the confidential contacts.”
The National Whistleblowing Standards was introduced in April 2021 to help staff raise concerns about patient safety or other harm 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.
Abi said: “NHS Lanarkshire aims to delivering high-quality, person-centred health and social care. Our values are fairness, respect, quality and working together. We want our people to speak up and raise concerns where they may have them.
“There are many reasons why people may not feel comfortable to speak up, or indeed have spoken up but have not felt heard. The whistleblowing process is there to support this, we want people to use it.
“Talking it through helps and I’m able to give some basic advice as well as signpost to other procedures and sources where needed. Where the concern is progressed under the whistleblowing standards I’m there to get that started and support you through it.
“When you raise a concern, confidentiality is important – your name will not be disclosed by the confidential contact without your permission. When you get in touch with a contact they can give you the reassurance you may need about how your identify will be protected both at the start of raising a concern, and as the process continues.
“Talking to someone who is not from the area you work in, and definitely not in any relevant management line, can be really helpful in deciding on how you want to manage the concern you have.
“All of us have the duty to speak up when we see or experience things that aren’t right, but sometimes speaking up is complicated and can be hard. We’re here to help that.
“I would also really recommend all my colleagues complete the learning module on Turas that provides an overview on whistleblowing to improve their understanding and anchor in their awareness of the process.
“For my colleagues that have a management role, I would encourage you to complete the ‘whistleblowing for line managers’ module. It’s important that managers are informed on the whistleblowing process to improve understanding, shake off the historical stigma and better support their team.”
NHS Lanarkshire’s confidential contacts are:
Ann Marie Blaney – 01698 366449 AnnMarie.blaney@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk
Abi Campbell – 01355 584418 Abi.campbell@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk (designated confidential contact for private contractors, including private financial initiatives)
Dr Megha Jani – 01355 585 058 Megha.Jani@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk
Dr Rachna Lalsinghani – 01698 755366 Rachna.lalsinghani@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk (designated confidential contact independent private contractors)
Nsenam Obot – 01698 366523 Nsenam.obot@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk
Paul Cannon – 01698 752868 Paul.cannon@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk (designated confidential contact for private contractors, including private financial initiatives)
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.
The Turas modules can be accessed here.
Further information is available on the INWO website, including FAQs, cases studies and contact details. Further details on whistleblowing is also available here.
