NHS 'whistle blowers' need safe ways to voice concern, says Unite
17 April 2009
NHS ‘whistle blowers’ need a safe way to expose bad practice
without jeopardising their careers, Unite, the largest union in the
country, said today (Friday, 17 April).
Unite was commenting on the case of nurse Margaret Haywood
struck off for secretly filming neglect of elderly patients in a
hospital for BBC’s Panorama programme.
Unite’s National Officer for Health, Karen Reay said that the
Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) ‘appeared to be somewhat heavy
handed’ in striking Ms Haywood off the register.
She said: ‘There is a balance to be had between privacy and
confidentiality of patients, and the wider issue being
highlighted.’
‘We can’t have a culture where ‘whistle blowers’ feel intimated
into not legitimately reporting wrong doing and bad practice in the
NHS. We need a safe environment for ‘whistle blowers’ who feel that
they can complain without losing their livelihood.’
‘There appears to be a number of extenuating circumstances in
the case of Margaret Haywood and the NMC could have imposed a
lesser punishment than that of being struck off.’
‘The NMC exists as a regulatory body to protect patients and
clients first and foremost, and not the alleged failings of members
of the nursing profession in caring for the elderly.’
NOTES TO NEWS EDITORS:
For further information, please ring: Karen Reay, National
Officer, Health 07798 531 004; Obi Amadi, Lead Professional
Officer, Policy & External Affairs 07780 955 936; Cheryll
Adams, Lead Professional Officer, Strategy & Practice
Development 07712 678 281; Shaun Noble, Communications Officer
(Health Sector) 020 7420 8951 or 07768 693 940
Unite Health Sector web page: www.unitetheunion.org/health
Unite/CPHVA press releases can be seen on the CPHVA website:
www.unitetheunion.org/cphva
Unite is the largest union in the UK. It has seven
professional sections: the Community Practitioners’ and
Health Visitors’ Association, the Mental Health Nurses Association,
the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists, the Society of Sexual Health
Advisers, the Medical Practitioners’ Union, College of Healthcare
Chaplains, and the Hospital Physicists Association.
Unite was formed by an amalgamation of Amicus and the Transport
and General Workers’ Union in May 2007.
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