NHS to see new protections for whistleblowers

Under new proposals being put forward by Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, NHS managers who silence whistleblowers or endanger patients through misconduct could be barred from working in the health service.

He was speaking ahead of the launch of a consultation seeking views on government proposals to regulate health service managers, ensuring they follow professional standards and are held to account.

The aim is to prevent the current “revolving door” which allows individuals with a record of poor performance or misconduct to simply move to work in another part of the NHS.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) will also consult on whether to introduce a new professional duty of candour on managers and, in addition, to make managers accountable for responding to patient safety concerns.

The changes are designed to tackle a culture of cover up which has been found to be present in several patient safety scandals in recent years.

Amanda Pritchard, Chief Executive of NHS England, said: “It is right that NHS managers have the same level of accountability as other NHS professionals, but it is critical that it comes alongside the necessary support and development to enable all managers to meet the high-quality standards that we expect.”

NHS England is developing a single code of practice, standards and competencies for leaders and managers at all levels in the health service, together with a national training curriculum.

Confirming a new College of Executive and Clinical Leadership to attract, develop and keep the best talent in NHS leadership, the Health Secretary said that regulation will come alongside support and development, with managers being given the tools they need to meet standards with training offers.

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