CQC must overhaul the way it deals with whistleblowers, review concludes

The Care Quality Commission must overhaul the way it deals with whistleblowers who report safety concerns, a review has concluded.1

The health and social care regulator for England commissioned the review—published in two parts—after an employment tribunal found that a consultant surgeon who blew the whistle had been unfairly sacked from his position as a part time specialist adviser to the CQC.2

Shyam Kumar, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon, was seconded to the CQC in 2014 to provide clinical input on inspections. He blew the whistle on his own employers, University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, for allowing the use of a non-consultant grade doctor without supervision. He also raised concerns about unsafe methodology in CQC inspections at two other trusts.

Last September an …