Objectives

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society RPS  defines whistleblowing as the process of, "disclosing information to an employer or where appropriate a regulator, police or the media about malpractice, wrongdoing or safety" and can be described as, "making a disclosure in the public interest". Whistleblowing can also be referred to as, "speaking up" or "raising concerns".

Whistleblowing enables people to raise concerns where they consider a safeguard could potentially have happened e.g., financial, or institutional abuse, practices are either unsafe, contrary to expected or standard practice, or even illegal. Pharmacy teams should consider whistleblowing an important aspect of managing and minimising risk.

OBJECTIVES

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• Explain the process of whistleblowing
• Explain why whistleblowing is necessary and important
• Be aware of where to get help and advice regarding whistleblowing
• Understand what to do if wrongdoing is witnessed
• Understand the legal protection available for whistle-blowers