RCPE Comment on Whistleblowing in the NHS

Commenting on the publication of the Freedom to Speak Up Review [1], Prof Derek Bell, President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, said,

“The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh welcomes the publication of today’s report and believes it imperative that the lessons learned are acted upon; on too many occasions in the past reports of other NHS inquiries and reviews have not sufficiently influenced change.

“We recognise that much more needs to be done to support doctors and other NHS staff in raising concerns about poor practice within the NHS. As outlined in our recent editorial, we believe that a transparent supportive environment in which the open reporting of concerns is welcomed, used as a positive learning experience and acted upon is now essential.

“To address these issues we believe it necessary to build on the success of Patient and Public Involvement and give similar priority to addressing and supporting the needs of NHS staff and recognising the ‘people’ element within the NHS, without which care could not be provided. Only by adopting a holistic approach of this nature and looking at the NHS as a whole, how it functions and its people, will be able to progress”.

Our recent editorial on preventing further serious failings in care made 3 recommendations related to this area, which we believe must be acted upon [2] –

• Doctors, nurses and other health professionals should be reminded of their value to the NHS and of their responsibility to provide the highest quality of care to patients, to continually seek to improve service delivery, to act professionally at all times and to report concerns regarding poor quality care; where they do not do so, they should be held accountable
• Managers should be encouraged to support professionals in their clinical decision-making, in developing the leadership skills of those responsible for leading teams, in delivering the highest quality care and in reporting concerns; they should also work within their Boards and Trusts to foster a supportive environment in which staff are seen as valued individuals and in which innovation is encouraged
• All Boards and Trusts should be encouraged to develop, publish and promote policies aimed at engaging staff, understanding and responding to professional concerns and valuing staff.

The editorial reviewed the reports of 10 major Inquiries and Reviews into serious failings in care in the UK since 2000, including Mid Staffordshire, Bristol, Lanarkshire and the Vale of Leven. The authors believe that patients, NHS staff and the wider public may be forgiven for asking “where next?” and that recent improvements in inspection alone will not be sufficient to prevent a recurrence. They advocate the need for the NHS at all levels to actively value staff and to support them in their day to day roles in delivering health care. The editorial further explores why the NHS has not learned lessons from the past, the loss of compassion, the erosion of professionalism, the increasing industrialisation and politicisation of the NHS and evidence that where NHS staff are engaged, a range of patient outcomes (including death rates) are improved.

The editorial was published in The Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

#preventingwherenext

Contact: Graeme McAlister on 0131-247-3693 or 07733-263453

ENDS

[1] The report of the Freedom to Speak Up Review, chaired by Sir Robert Francis QC, has been published today

[2] Preventing ‘where next?’ Patients, professionals and preventing serious failings in care, D Bell, A Jarvie, The Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, 6 February 2015

[3] ABOUT THE RCPE

The RCPE is an independent standard-setting body and professional membership organisation. Our aim is to improve and maintain the quality of patient care. We help qualified doctors to pursue their careers in specialist (internal) medicine through medical examinations, education and training. We also provide resources and information to support and facilitate professional development for physicians throughout their careers.

The RCPE helps to develop standards of medical care and training and to influence health policy. We ensure that the views and practical clinical experiences of our membership are taken into account by health policymakers throughout the UK.

We have a strong UK and international presence with over 12,000 Fellows and Members in 91 countries, covering 56 medical specialties and interests.

www.rcpe.ac.uk