Nurses still 'fear repercussions' over whistleblowing

These responses illustrate that despite the recent attention which has been drawn to the importance of whistle blowing, many nurses are still experiencing a culture of fear and intimidation if they try to speak out.

This is putting patient safety at risk. One of the key lessons from the Francis report was that frontline staff must feel confident that they can raise concerns about patient safety without fear of reprisals.

Nursing staff want to provide excellent care, but sometimes the systems they work in do not allow this. Staff know what is safe for their patients and what is not.

However, they cannot raise concerns if they feel unsure about what their employer's policy is or what the repercussions will be.