Whistleblowing

Training is available for all staff in NHS Scotland, including students, contractors and volunteers. These modules will teach you about the National Whistleblowing Standards and the role of the Independent National Whistleblowing Officer (INWO).

The modules have been provided by the INWO and are set out in two different learning programmes:

• For staff who need an overview of the Standards
• For managers and people who receive concerns from other staff in their day-to-day work

You can find these modules on TURAS Learn.

Each NHS board has a dedicated Whistleblowing Champion who monitors and supports the effective delivery of their whistleblowing policy. This role has been developed by the Scottish Government and complements the work of the INWO.

Your Whistleblowing Champion is to help provide you with the assurance that our Board is complying with our Whistleblowing responsibilities. This involves providing critical oversight and ensuring managers are responding to Whistleblowing concerns appropriately.

This individual will also have responsibility for ensuring that we have appropriate systems in place to ensure our services delivered indirectly, including primary care, contracted services and those offered by HSCPs are meeting the requirements and standards.

More information, can be found here. 

Click here to view the video.

As part of our team at NHS Golden Jubilee, you will also have access to support from our Confidential Contacts. These are individuals who are independent of normal management structures and have the capacity and capability to be an initial point of contact for staff from all across the organisation who want to raise concerns.

The confidential contact must support staff by providing a safe space to discuss the concern, and assist the staff member in raising their concern with an appropriate manager.

In particular, Confidential Contacts are required to:

• work with the whistleblowing champion to ensure that all staff are aware of the arrangements for raising concerns within their organisation
• promote a culture of trust, which values the raising of concerns as a route to learning and improvement
• through direct contact with frontline staff, ensure they are aware of and have access to the support services available to them when they raise concerns
• assist managers in using concerns as opportunities for learning and improvement
• work with the chief executive and those they have identified to oversee application of the Standards, to ensure the Standards are functioning at all levels of the organisation.

More information is available on our Confidential Contacts Page.

Alternatively, full information about the responsibilities of staff across the organisation is available here

along with FAQs.

Please be aware that the Whistleblowing Standards do not apply to grievances, only concerns which they feel are in the public interest. The majority of issues raised through Whistleblowing will be from a witness who may have no direct involvement in the concern they are raising, but they are attempting to tell management about risks they have identified and the impact this could have on others.

Any issues which incorporate bullying or harassment, their employment situation, rights or how they have been treated are not covered by the Whistleblowing Standards, and should be raised through the appropriate channels. More information on the difference between a a grievance and a concern is available here. 

The NHS Scotland Grievance policy can be found here. 

Raising a Concern

If you have any concerns or issues that you wish to raise and have recorded through the Whistleblowing Standards, please get in touch by emailing: Corporate.Governance@gjnh.scot.nhs.uk.