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Whistle-blowing

Re: Whistle-blowing charter promotes openness within the NHS (16/10/12)

The NHS has a long way to go and even the unions are not pushing this enough. Staff, patients and users should all be able to raise issues to whoever they want, and there should not be a prerequisite to exhaust all official/formal channels first.

There are two lessons to be learnt when ‘feedback’ is given:

1. How to improve the situation reported and

2. How to improve methods of communication of issues.

If, for example, staff do not complete an incident form but write a complaint the organisation should welcome the report and look to make communication of issues easier.

Why would any organisation limit the communication channels or prescribe how they should be utilised when its biggest risk is not in the lack of discipline in reporting but the lack of reporting?

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