Case: 202403178
NHS organisation: Lothian NHS Board
Subject: Hospitals/ Management practice
Date: April 2025
Summary
C raised concerns with the Board about the removal of a short-term intervention model that provided point of access treatment to vulnerable patients. They were also concerned about the impact of an individual's behaviour on service development. Their concerns were investigated under the National Whistleblowing Standards and overall, the Board upheld C's concerns and made several recommendations. Whilst C welcomed the response from the Board, they were concerned that there was little progress implementing the recommendations and C complained to the Independent National Whistleblowing Officer (INWO). We considered the information provided by both C and the Board and requested an update on the progress made so far in relation to the Board's recommendations. The Board accepted they had not kept C updated with regard to progress and apologised for this. The Board met with C to discuss a timeline for progress and to address any remaining concerns regarding the reintroduction of the short-term intervention for patients. C was satisfied with the information provided by the Board and felt their concerns had been resolved. We recognised C's public-spirited approach in raising concerns. We also recognised the Board's commitment to improving services and learning through the whistleblowing process and pragmatic engagement with the resolution. Our decision in this case was to discontinue the investigation with the agreement of both parties.