A story in today’s Guardian has highlighted how bosses at West Suffolk NHS Hospital demanded fingerprint samples in a bid to identify a whistleblower. The report says that the hospital – which happens to be Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s local hospital – used ‘bullying and intimidatory’ tactics towards doctors to seek out the identity of … Read more
The National Guardian’s Office has published a report analysis of the data from Freedom to Speak Up Guardians to give a picture of what speaking up looks like in NHS trusts. The report, Speaking up in the NHS in England, reveals over the last year cases of speaking up to guardians have risen by 73 … Read more
We are looking for a new Chief Executive Office to lead Protect in supporting whistleblowers and promote whistleblowing. Our new CEO will ensure we encourage a culture of ‘Speak Up, Stop Harm’, that we provide the best possible support to innocent people at risk. Building on our solid reputation, the CEO will act as ambassador … Read more
Head of Policy at Protect, Andrew Pepper-Parsons spoke at the National Guardian Office Pan Sector Conference on our recent work with regulators and professional bodies, the aim of which is to explore the challenges and opportunities these bodies have when receiving whistleblowing concerns, and in particular in handling and responding to the individual raising the … Read more
A review calling on a total overhaul of the UK audit profession, following a series of corporate scandals has been welcomed by Protect. Former London Stock Exchange Chairman, Sir Donald Brydon was tasked with reviewing the auditing sector, and his report, ‘Assess, Assure and Inform, Improving Audit Quality and Effectiveness, states: ‘Audit is not broken … Read more
Nearly half of brokers surveyed were ‘unaware’ of a newly introduced Senior Management and Certification Regime (SMCR). The new rules, which come into play this month, have been extended to all insurance intermediaries and solo-regulated firms, just one year after the rules came into effect for insurers. The SCMR legislation was originally introduced in the … Read more
Francesca West is standing down as Chief Executive of whistleblowing charity Protect after 12 years to spend more time with her young family. Joining the charity as an adviser in 2007, she has held posts as Legal Officer, Director of Policy as well as Deputy Chief Executive, before becoming Chief Executive in 2017. Protect Chairman, … Read more
Protect Chief Executive Francesca West will be speaking at the International Development Safeguarding Conference on December 12 on the importance of whistleblowing and speaking up in the Third Sector, and what needs to change in the sector since the Oxfam scandal. The International Development Safeguarding Conference will offer a leading platform to assess the progress … Read more
The Supreme Court has ruled a Royal Mail employee was unfairly dismissed for blowing the whistle, not for the alleged poor performance – based on false information – that the company’s HR department suggested was the reason for her dismissal. The landmark judgment extends the scope of whistleblower protection and suggests that employers will need … Read more
Our legal officer, Elizabeth Gardiner, joined a discussion on Non Disclosure Agreements at The Lawyer’s conference on Managing Risk and Litgation in November. Protect shared the panel with the Solicitor’s Regulatory Authority and lawyers who advise employers concerns about the misuse of NDAs had been brought to light by the #Metoo campaign and the Parliamentary … Read more
