Watchdog says NHS Grampian did not tackle whistleblowing concerns

A public standards watchdog has found NHS Grampian did not properly handle concerns raised about its dealings with staff who reported problems.

The Independent National Whistleblowing Officer (INWO) investigated a complaint that some managers were not listening to employees or taking appropriate action.

It said the board did not address concerns about the “speak up culture” in the service, and did not manage any “associated risks”.

NHS Grampian said it welcomed the findings and apologised for falling short of national whistleblowing standards.

The complaint claimed that a lack of action by managers contributed to an environment where staff “did not feel safe or supported to speak up”.

It alleged there was a lack of professional respect for staff carrying out a specialised role, and raised concerns about the “rapid introduction” of a pilot service.

The INWO said NHS Grampian did not address the concerns raised, and recommended that the board apologise to the complainer.

The watchdog said staff should also be made aware of the health board’s whistleblowing policy and support available to them.

NHS Grampian chief executive Laura Skaife-Knight said there was evidence it was making progress on whistleblowing.

She said: “NHS Grampian fully supports and encourages a culture of speaking up to improve patient safety and service delivery.

“While those raising concerns have in general reported feeling listened to and reassured improvements will be made, we apologise in this case for falling short of the National Whistleblowing Standards and recognise there is more for us to do in this important area as part of our organisational culture programme.”

Ms Skaife-Knight added NHS Grampian was making all staff aware of its policy.