Published 27 October 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b3202
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;339:b3202

Feature

Whistleblowing

The price of silence

¹ London

doi:10.1136/bmj.b4203

Despite government outlawing of gagging clauses in NHS contracts, Jonathan Gornall reports a new case that shows at least one trust has continued to use them

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

A nurse is struck off (later reduced to suspension on appeal) for assisting a secret BBC exposé of care standards¹; an NHS trust seeking foundation status is accused of putting financial interests first and ignoring staff concerns about inadequate staffing levels and patient safety.^{2 3} Both of these recent episodes have reinforced concerns that, despite the repeated assurances of politicians, whistleblowers in the NHS remain an endangered species.

Launching the BMA’s whistleblowing guidance and helpline for hospital staff at the organisation’s annual representative meeting earlier this year,⁴ chairman Hamish Meldrum said that such cases "send out completely the wrong message to those health professionals who might want to speak out about unacceptable conditions."⁵

Now evidence has emerged that, almost a decade after the Public Interest Disclosure Act was passed, a foundation trust went to remarkable lengths to ensure that a senior consultant did not go public with his concerns about . . . [Full text of this article]

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Rapid Responses:

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Re "The Price of Silence"

Louise Florensa, et al.
bmj.com, 30 Oct 2009 [Full text]

More information needed

Martin McKee
bmj.com, 1 Nov 2009 [Full text]

Re: More information needed

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bmj.com, 2 Nov 2009 [Full text]

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bmj.com, 2 Nov 2009 [Full text]

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bmj.com, 2 Nov 2009 [Full text]

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