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Demand for whistleblowing support continues to rise

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Whistleblowing charity, Protect, sees calls increase by 10% year on year. 

  • Legal charity worked on 3336 total cases, up 10% on 2023. 
  • 41% of came from the public sector, 26% from the private sector and 21% from the charity sector*. 
  • The top employers were health and social work (30%), education (13%) and financial and insurance services (7%) 

In 2024, Protect significantly impacted the lives of thousands of whistleblowers by providing practical and legal advice on how to safely and effectively raise workplace concerns. The UK’s leading whistleblowing charity worked on 3336 total cases, a rise of 10% on 2023. Calls came from a wide variety of industries/professions with most calls from health and social work (30%), education (13%) and financial services (7%).  

Most calls came from people with an annual income below £30,000 (51%), with 17% of calls coming from those earning between £30,000 and 50,000.  

At the time callers contacted Protect’s Advice Line: 

  • 2 in 5 of callers (40%) said their whistleblowing concern had been ignored by their employer. 
  • A fifth (21%) said their concern was under investigation. 
  • More than two thirds (68%) said they faced victimisation or felt forced to resign 

At Protect, the confidential legal Advice Line is central to the work of the charity. All advisers have legal qualifications, or legal experience, and are supervised by a qualified solicitor. The charity has been providing whistleblowing advice for more than 30 years and believes that anyone blowing the whistle should understand their legal rights to be protected from harm by their employer. Anyone calling Protect’s legal Advice Line is connected to a dedicated adviser who helps them think how best to raise their whistleblowing concern and guides them through the law. The charity also provides online templates to support legal claims as well as ongoing telephone and email support.  

Elizabeth Gardiner, chief executive at Protect, says: 

 “Year on year calls to our legal Advice Line continue to rise demonstrating the need for free and confidential support. With regular high-profile cases in the media covering issues ranging from harassment and discrimination to financial misconduct – we’re seeing more calls from staff who want to speak up and stop harm. 

Our analysis shows that the largest proportion of whistleblowers are on the lowest salaries. More than half (51%) of callers to our whistleblowing Advice Line earn less than £30,000**. These are often workers in the charity or health and social work sectors raising safeguarding issues or concerns about patient safety.  

Whistleblowers provide a gift of information to their employers. They are the eyes and ears on the frontline calling things out, identifying safety concerns, protecting the reputation and the bottom line. But whistleblowing is not easy. People who come forward – as witnesses or as victims – should be actively listened to. They need to be confident that action will be taken and they won’t be ignored.” 

Notes to editors:   

  • For more information, and to arrange an interview, please contact: Mark Ellis, Head of Communications
  • press@protect-advice.org.uk
  • 07399 128124 

*Sector

Private26%
Public41%
Not-for-profit21%
Sector partnership5%
Unknown7%

**Annual income

£30,000 and under 51%
£30,000 - £50,000 17%
£50,000 - £70,0009%
£70,000 - £90,0006%
£90,000 and over7%
Prefer not to say10%
Download the full 2024 Impact Report here

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