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Whistle blowing

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

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“A practitioner shall be free, without prior consent of the employing authority to publish books, articles, etc. and to deliver any lecture or speak, whether on matters arising out of his or her hospital service or not”. Paragraph 330, Terms and Conditions of Service for Hospital Medical and Dental Staff

“The culture of honesty and high integrity in British public service is something that needs to be sustained. Half of all fraud is detected by staff who spot something dodgy and report on it. One of the best antidotes to fraud is an open attitude with staff”. Andrew Foster, Controller of the Audit Commission (1994)

“I am appalled at the thought that there remain in the NHS some people who feel that they work in a climate that prevents them from freely expressing their views. That is not the kind of organisation I wish to lead. I do not believe that there is any place for ‘confidentiality for commercial reasons’ in the family of the NHS”. Alan Langlands, Chief Executive of the NHS Executive (1995)

For the purpose of this article, I am using a definition of whistle blowing which was used at a conference in November 1995 at the Royal Society of Medicine:

“Reporting serious concern about patient care, past present or future, to people beyond the immediate circle of the clinical team. This could be ‘local’ – within the organisation – or ‘more distant’ for example to a professional organisation, the Secretary of State, politicians, or the media.”

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 1996 

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