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Whistleblowers given a voice.

Whistleblowing Champions have been appointed to health boards across Scotland in a move aimed at creating a more honest and open workplace culture within the NHS.

A total of 19 appointments have been made by Health Secretary Jeane Freeman, with them all taking up their posts from this week.

Ms Freeman yesterday said:

“I believe passionately in the NHS Scotland values of care and compassion, dignity and respect, openness, honesty, responsibility, quality and teamwork - and the level of interest in these posts demonstrates the level of enthusiasm for those values.

“I have been clear from the outset that the right people with the right skills should be appointed to the vital role of Whistleblowing Champion. I am therefore delighted that 19 out of Scotland’s 22 health boards now have one in place, with a further appointment round taking place shortly for the remaining three health boards.

“The NHS in Scotland does a fantastic job of looking after patients but it is just as important that NHS staff experience the care and respect they show to others. I am confident that these appointments will help create a better working environment for all.”

Background

The Whistleblowing Champion role builds on existing support in place for whistleblowers within the NHS.

The introduction of these roles form part of a wider package of measures which will further strengthen and enhance the current policy architecture in NHS Scotland. Other measures include:

• the introduction of legislation to allow the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman to take on the role of the Independent National Whistleblowing Officer for NHS Scotland, which will go live this summer
• the review of workforce policies, including the Whistleblowing policy, to ensure that they are person centred, and applied consistently across all Health Boards

The full list of appointments can be found here.