Government accused of downgrading NHS whistleblowers’ helpline
Photograph: Lindsey Parnaby
Margaret Hodge (Left) said: ‘At a time when we are learning how important whistleblowers are in ensuring the proper use of public money it seems wrong to effectively cut funding to a crucial adviser.
The government has been accused of downgrading the Department of Health’s helpline for whistleblowers exposing wrongdoing in hospitals.
A £160,000 contract to advise 1.3 million NHS staff with concerns about patient safety and fraud has been extended to include another 1.7 million people working in social care but with no increase in resources.
No help for doctor who refused to be gagged
Adam Gerrard/SWNS
Reprinted by kind permission of the Times newspaper.
Click Here for the original story on the Times website.
No help for doctor who refused to be gagged
Alexi Mostrous – special correspondent
The British Medical Association withdrew legal support from a whistleblowing doctor because he refused to sign a gagging clause,The Times has learnt.
Lawyers for the medical union told the doctor that such clauses were “standard” and warned him that they would no longer represent him unless he signed.