Reporting safety concerns at work

5 February 2020

Following the Paterson scandal the IBMS wishes to highlight how members can report all safety concerns they have in the workplace.

The recent Paterson scandal, where an NHS breast surgeon was found guilty of performing unnecessary operations on hundreds of women, raises concerns for our members. How can NHS staff report fears they may have about public safety risks, breaches of legislation or wrongdoing in the workplace?

Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registered Biomedical Scientists are duty bound to report any risk to potential harm of service users. Whilst non HCPC-registered hospital laboratory staff are encouraged to raise concerns with their professional body, trade union or use the NHS Whistleblowing Helpline who will offer further guidance.

Reporting a concern

If you have a concern your organisation’s reporting policy should be available to you. The HCPC issues the following guidance for registered and non-registered professionals raising concerns for:

Patients

Take appropriate action promptly, especially if the concern is for a child or vulnerable person’s safety. You can approach your manager, the person responsible for the patient’s health, or a person in a position to keep the patient safe. Who you report is down to your judgement and you should refer to any policies in your workplace for raising concerns.

If appropriate, your line manager should be the first person to contact, they can offer guidance on how to deal with your concern. In other cases, it may be appropriate to raise the issue informally and your professional body or trade union can offer you help and guidance. IBMS members can raise their concerns about another member breaching the IBMS Code of Conduct by contacting the Executive Head of Marketing and Membership.

If you believe a crime has been committed and the circumstances require more serious action, i.e. a safeguarding issue, you should contact the police.

A professional on the HCPC register

It may be appropriate to contact their employers to raise your concern. They can take steps including discussing the concern with their employee, or by undertaking a performance or disciplinary review.

If you have any concerns about the fitness to practice of a HCPC-registered professional or believe that they are a risk to the public or public confidence, you must raise your concern with the HCPC.

A professional not registered with the HCPC

You must raise your concern with their employer or their professional’s regulator.

A service

For all concerns regarding the management of practices of a health or social care service you should raise your concern with the relevant responsible body:

The Care Quality Commission in England
The Care Inspectorate Improvement Wales or the Health Inspectorate Wales for services in Wales
Healthcare Improvement Scotland or the Care Inspectorate for services in Scotland; or
The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority or the Department of Health in Northern Ireland.

Legal protection for whistleblowers

To make a ‘protected disclosure’ there are specific criteria which must be met for an individual to be covered by UK law. For further advice NHS staff are directed to contact Speak Up which is a free, independent advice service.