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Primary care providers told to appoint whistleblowing guardian

All NHS primary care providers will be required to appoint a Freedom to Speak Up guardian under new guidance designed to protect whistleblowers.

The guidance comes after Sir Robert Francis recommended that the principles outlined in his Freedom to Speak Up report be adapted for primary care, where smaller work settings can make it harder to report unsafe practice.

NHS England said primary care providers should name an individual who is independent of the line management chain and is not the direct employer as their guardian. They will be responsible for ensuring that policies are in place and that staff know who to contact if they have a concern.

Neil Churchill, NHS England director for patient experience, stated that safety in primary care “depends on listening to, and acting on, concerns raised”.

“This new guidance will help ensure that if someone witnesses a risk to patient safety, they can speak out without reprisal and confident that effective action will be taken,” he added.

Providers covered by the guidance include GP surgeries, opticians, dentists and community pharmacists. It is designed to encourage staff to raise concerns about areas including poor clinical practice, failure to safeguard patients, maladministration of medications, poorly trained staff, and lack of appropriate safety policies.

The guidance stressed that all NHS staff working in primary care should be encouraged to raise their concerns at the earliest opportunity, and that primary care providers should be proactive in preventing bullying and harassment of whistleblowers.

It said providers should review and update their policies by September 2017 to make sure they align with the guidance.

In April, NHS England became a ‘prescribed person’, meaning primary care service staff working at GP surgeries, opticians, pharmacies and dental practices, can raise concerns about inappropriate activity directly to NHS England.

The Freedom to Speak Up reforms were introduced after Sir Robert’s review found a significant proportion of NHS workers were afraid to speak up about issues.

As part of improving its whistleblower policy, NHS England appointed a national guardian for whistleblowers earlier this year. The first guardian, Dame Eileen Sills, took up the role in January but stepped down after just two months. She has now been replaced by Dr Henrietta Hughes.

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