The PT Savvy Center

Of late, there have been many incidents of whistle blowing in the NHS system. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) reported that there have been many cases of whistleblowing by nurses every week in the past year and the institute believes that it is high time that the patient-safety concerns raised by the nurses are brought before the public.

The RCN has gathered information via its hotline called ‘Raising Concerns, Raising Standards‘ where nurses often call to register their fears about failure to provide sufficient care to the patients at their hospitals. The hotline was set up at Congress 2009 when a survey of nurses showed that close to 80% are scared of victimisation by their employers if they complained against them.

Two-thirds of nurses had spoken to their employers about patient safety issues and in more than one-third cases, there was not action taken. The hotline is supposed to be the last resort if the nurses have tried all internal measures but have failed to get their grievances addressed.

Some the major concerns include lack of sufficient time to give proper care to each patient and ensure safety. The nurses also believe that the hospitals do not have sufficient nursing staff and therefore, the quality of service is being affected. Some said that employers took decisions that had more to do with financial issues than patient safety.

Tina Donnelly, the Director of the RCN, Wales also confirmed the fact that regular calls were being made to the hotline. Most of the concerns were being raised by nurses. She said it would be best if the health boards maintain a register of these complaints and make them available to the public. This may go a long way in ensuring patient safety and good service.

Protecting the health and safety of employees or members of the public who may be affected by your activities is an essential part of risk management. The health and safety consultants from Workplace Law can assist managers and supervisors in all they need to know to help handle health and safety in their teams to learn about the importance of promoting awareness and attitude, and communication about safety to help boost team performance for a more effective working practice.