NHS: Disclosure of Information
(asked on 25th January 2019) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report entitled, Freedom to Speak Up: An independent review into creating an open and honest reporting culture in the NHS published by Sir Robert Francis QC’s, what steps he has taken to to promote a culture of honesty and whistleblowing in the NHS; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of those steps.
The Secretary of State has been clear that speaking up and raising concerns should be encouraged across the National Health Service as a key part of continuing to improve patient safety and quality of services. The NHS, its leaders and employers should support and protect staff who raise concerns wherever they spot them.
Employers are responsible locally for ensuring a culture of speaking up and the Department is supporting them in achieving this by working with the NHS to deliver Sir Robert Francis QC’s recommendations and principles.
Building on Sir Robert Francis’s principles, the NHS Long Term Plan sets an ambition to shape a modern employment culture for the NHS. This includes promoting staff wellbeing and addressing all forms of discrimination including against those that speak up about concerns. This work will be delivered as part of the Workforce Implementation Plan announced in the Long Term Plan.
The Department has appointed an independent National Guardian, Dr Henrietta Hughes, who leads over 750 local Freedom to Speak Up Guardians, covering every NHS trust in England. Trusts are required to have an Executive and Non-Executive Lead for Freedom to Speak Up, the National Guardian has also developed a self-review toolkit for NHS trusts boards to use in assessing speaking up culture in their organisation. Between 1 April 2017 and 31 March 2018, 7,087 cases were raised to Freedom to Speak Up Guardians in NHS trusts and foundation trusts. Further details of the work of the National Guardian’s Office can be found at the following link:
The Department has already brought in The Employment Rights Act 1996 (NHS Recruitment - Protected Disclosure) Regulations 2018/579 which prohibits NHS employers from discriminating against job applicants because it appears to the employer that the applicant has made certain disclosures of information and as part of the response to the Gosport Panel Inquiry, we committed to introduce legislation, subject to Parliamentary time, so that every NHS trust in England is required to publish information on cases of speaking up and an overview of how the matters raised have been addressed.