Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that NHS staff who raise concerns about workplace privacy, dignity or safety are protected from victimisation or disciplinary action.

No doctor, healthcare professional, or any other National Health Service employee should suffer detriment for raising concerns about workplace privacy, dignity, or safety.

Legal protections include the Employment Rights Act 1996, as amended by the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, which gives employees protection against unfair dismissal and detriment in employment on the basis that they have made a protected disclosure, and a right to seek remedy through an employment tribunal where this occurs. Separate regulations also protect NHS job applicants from discrimination on the grounds they have made a protected disclosure in the past.

In addition, there is a range of support in place for NHS workers who wish to report concerns, including local Freedom to Speak Up Guardians, a National Freedom to Speak Up policy, and support from independent organisations such as Speak Up Direct.