Cultures of fear: Perspectives on whistleblowing

摘要

Whistleblowing is in part defined by the protection that it offers and does not offer to those who speak. Why some organisations find it almost impossible to protect whistblowers depends more on the properties of the organisation than the act of the individual whistleblower. These properties are, to a greater or lesser degree, present in all organisations but they are particularly present in nursing with its longstanding culture of deference to authority. Not all organisations protect whistleblowers that, unfortunately, are perceived to represent a threat to the organisation and the individual for challenging the underpinning norms of the organisation. J Jeremy Hunt, the Secretary of State for Health in England and Wales, recently announced that NHS whistleblowers could be protected against discrimination if they apply to work for the health service. The Conservative Government plans would give applicants a right to complain to an employment tribunal if they believed they had suffered discrimination. Mr Hunt stated he wanted to create 'a culture of openness' where staff feel they can speak up about patient safety. The Francis (2013) report recommended the measure after a public inquiry into Stafford Hospital deaths. Protecting NHS whistleblowers was a key recommendation from the inquiry into the scandal, which resulted in the trust that ran Stafford Hospital being fined ￡500 000 for 'basic' blunders linked to the deaths of four patients. The inquiry warned that staff often faced bullying and isolation if they tried to speak out and that staff struggled to find new jobs in the NHS. Under the UK-wide plans, applicants for an NHS job would have the right to complain to an employment tribunal if they had been discriminated against because they had previously raised concerns about the safety of patients.