NHS trusts in England will be required to appoint a guardian to assist whistle-blowers, ministers have announced, after a review into their treatment.
The Freedom to Speak Up Review, conducted by Sir Robert Francis, gathered evidence from more than 600 people on their experiences, whilst a further 19,000 people responded to an online survey.
Speaking to the BBC, Sir Robert said: “I’ve heard some frankly shocking stories about [staff] whose health has suffered, and in rare cases who’ve felt suicidal as a result of their perception of them being ignored or worse.”
He added that staff raising their worries should be “welcomed and celebrated.”
There were many examples of whistle-blowers being supported by organisations, he said, but also too many examples where people weren’t speaking up for fear of being victimised.
The Government accepted the recommendations put forward by Sir Robert immediately, with Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt explaining that a forthcoming consultation would determine how best to implement them.
“If we don’t get the culture right we will never deliver the ambitions we have for the NHS,” he said.