Free, confidential whistleblowing advice
Call us on 020 3117 2520 or email us

DONATE

Member Login

patient safety

Side effects of speaking up as a social worker

by

Eleanor* was a social worker, whose work often brought her to her local hospital to support patients. Over time, she grew increasingly uneasy about the inadequate handling of patient safety, and decisions not being taken in the best interests of vulnerable people. She felt that a manager appeared to be discharging patients who weren’t ready to go home.

HSE take action following whistleblower’s safety concerns

by

Amal* works for a charity providing wellbeing services to vulnerable adults. She called Protect following a serious incident where a service user had physically threatened her. Amal explained that she had raised concerns previously about the charity’s building not being safe for workers following previous incidents. She told us her requests for securing the premises and implementing additional safety measures for staff had been ignored.

Time to level up speaking up across all sectors

by

In a guest blog for the National Guardian’s Speak Up Month, Protect Chief Executive Liz Gardiner says ‘it’s time to level speaking up across all sectors’ The record number of healthcare workers speaking up to Freedom to Speak Up Guardians is good news for patient safety and for us all. Our mantra at Protect, the … Read more

National Guardian data shows record number of health workers are speaking up – but more are facing detriment for doing so

by
Record numbers of health care workers in the NHS are speaking up to NHS Freedom to Speak Up Guardians – over 20,000 cases in 2020/21 – but more are facing detriment for doing so. There are over 700 Freedom to Speak Up Guardians in NHS Trusts in England supporting healthcare workers to speak up about anything which impacts on their ability ... Read more

National Guardian urges NHS leaders to play their part as survey finds just 51% feel supported to speak up

by
The National Guardian’s Office leads, trains and supports a network of Freedom to Speak Up Guardians providing learning and striving for cultural change on speaking up matters in NHS Trusts in England. The role of Freedom to Speak Up Guardians (FTSUGS) and the National Guardian, Dr Henrietta Hughes, were established in 2016 following serious failures ... Read more

Mental health worker speaks out over poor patient care

by

Gillian (not her real name) worked for the NHS for over 20 years. She worked with patients with acute mental illness. Gillian had concerns about poor patient care. This included poor communication, a failure to engage with vulnerable patients, nurses turning up to work late and leaving early, nurses falling asleep on shift, and low … Read more

Care worker thanked for raising patient safety concerns

by

Manisha (not her real name) worked as a senior care coordinator in a care home. A member of staff forgot to give some residents their medication so the home manager flushed the remaining packs of drugs down the toilet to cover-up the mistake. Manisha raised her concerns to head office who suspended the manager and the member of staff pending an investigation. Manisha felt uncomfortable about this.

We reassured Manisha that it was positive that senior managers were taking the concern seriously and thanked her for her efforts. We advised her to speak to the investigator if she felt victimised for raising her concerns or if the manager or anyone else was trying to find out the identity of the the whistleblower. Manisha was thanked by senior managers and the concern was resolved without her being victimised.

All Case Studies