UNISON, the UK•À_s largest health union, is to work jointly with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to put together a Whistleblower•À_s Guide.
Karen Jennings, UNISON Head of Health, said:
•À_The welfare of patients must be paramount and I am pleased that UNISON is working with the NMC to produce this much-needed guide to whistleblowing.
It is essential for staff to be able to raise concerns about standards of patient care or staff safety without the fear of reprisals. Employers must have clear whistleblowing policies open and easily accessible to everyone.
•À_In addition we need to make sure that nurses are given clear information about how to raise any concerns they have about the welfare of patients or patient/staff safety quickly, without breaching their code of conduct, or their professionalism being called into question.
•À_There is some confusion about the role of the NMC and we need to set the record straight. The job of the NMC is to weigh up the evidence in each case and decide if a nurse has breached their code of conduct.•À_
