The 2010 editions of the NHS Constitution and handbook have now been superseded, with the recent publication of March 2012 updates.
In anticipation of the publication of Robert Francis QC’s report on the Mid Staffordshire public inquiry, the updated constitution and handbook place an enhanced focus on whistle-blowing as a means of creating a culture of patient safety, by including:
- a statement of expectation that staff will raise concerns about malpractice or serious risk at the earliest opportunity in an NHS built on a culture of accountability and openness;
- a pledge that the NHS will support staff who raise concerns in good faith, even where those concerns prove ultimately to be mistaken or based on a misunderstanding;
- clarification of the legal right to protection from detriment for whistleblowing.
The fact that all NHS bodies, private and third sector providers supplying NHS services are under a statutory duty to have regard to the NHS Constitution in performing their NHS functions, can only have increased importance in the newly diversified “post Health and Social Care Act” world.
