In a recent case, a whistleblower was unhappy with a Board’s actions after they had completed the whistleblowing investigation. Specifically, we found that:
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The Board failed to inform the whistleblower of the investigation’s recommendations.
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The Board produced an action plan which did not adequately address the investigation’s findings and recommendations.
Mistakes like this can seriously undermine a whistleblower’s trust in the speak-up process. It’s also a missed opportunity to build wider confidence by demonstrating that speaking up will lead to positive change. Two of the whistleblowing principles set out at the beginning of the Standards are key to remember here:
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‘Open’ Following an investigation, make sure that any lessons learned are shared across the organisation. This should include telling people what improvements have been made as a result of the investigation.
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‘Focused on improvement’ NHS services should use the outcomes of concerns to identify and demonstrate learning and improvement and share best practice, both in providing services and in the procedure itself.
If you would like to discuss any of the above, please get in touch at [email protected].