NHS managers who silence whistleblowers could be barred from working in the NHS, under proposals being announced this week.
NHS managers who silence whistleblowers or endanger patients through misconduct could be barred from working in the NHS, under proposals being announced by Health Secretary Wes Streeting this week.
A public consultation will be launched on Tuesday (26 November 2024) seeking views on government proposals to regulate health service managers, ensuring they follow professional standards and are held to account.
The Department of Health and Social Care will also consult on whether to introduce a new professional duty of candour on managers and, in addition, to make managers accountable for responding to patient safety concerns.
The changes are part of the government’s work to rebuild Britain and get the NHS back on its feet. They are designed to tackle a culture of cover up which has been found to be present in several patient safety scandals in recent years.
Karin Smyth, Minister of State for Health, said:
To turn around our NHS we need the best and brightest managing the health service, a culture of transparency that keeps patients safe and an end to the revolving door that allows failed managers to pick up in a new NHS organisation.
Earlier this month the Secretary of State promised that as part of our 10 year plan for health we will reform the NHS so that it rewards success and acts decisively on failure.
Today’s announcement builds on that promise and helps us build a health system that protects patients and is fit for the future.
Regulation will prevent the revolving door that allows individuals with a record of poor performance or misconduct to continue to work in the health service. It would deliver on the government’s manifesto commitment to introduce professional standards and regulate NHS managers.
Tens of thousands of clinical and non-clinical managers work in the NHS but there is currently no single regulatory framework for them in the same way as doctors and nurses.
Options being considered by the consultation include a voluntary accreditation register, statutory barring mechanisms and full statutory registration.
