Today Rosemary Agnew, Independent National Whistleblowing Officer (INWO), laid her first whistleblowing investigation report before the Scottish Parliament.
The INWO upheld two elements of the whistleblower’s complaint, and made recommendations for improvement in relation to the handling of the concern in line with the National Whistleblowing Standards (the Standards); she did not uphold a third element.
The INWO said: "'It is important to me that the dedicated workers providing NHS services in Scotland feel safe to speak up about concerns, confident in the knowledge they will be listened to and learning take place. It is also important, that the NHS fosters a culture of speaking up and learning, and that there is recognition for organisations who do this well. Critical to this is confidence in the INWO’s Whistleblowing Standards and complaint handling. As you will see from my report, while I cannot share all of the detail, elements of the whistleblower’s complaint were upheld, and I am encouraged by the NHS’ acceptance of my findings and willingness to learn."
The public report is available to read on the INWO website.
About the Independent National Whistleblowing Officer for the NHS in Scotland (INWO)
The aim of the INWO is to make sure everyone delivering NHS services in Scotland is able to speak out to raise concerns, ultimately contributing to ensuring that the NHS in Scotland is as well run as possible.
The INWO has the power to set out principles and a procedure for NHS Scotland providers to use in handling whistleblowing concerns and to provide an independent review stage to this procedure. The high level principles and detailed procedure for investigating concerns set out in the National Whistleblowing Standards.
The INWO offers a free telephone advice line to provide information and signposting for those wanting to raise whistleblowing concerns. This service is open to all NHS providers, staff and members of the public via Freephone 0800 008 6112.
Further information on how to raise whistleblowing concerns and access to an online complaints form is available on the INWO website https://inwo.spso.org.uk.