Category: whistleblowers

The Review by Robert Francis QC into Whistleblowing in the NHS – Littleton Chambers

Posted March 17th, 2015 in health, hospitals, news, reports, whistleblowers by sally

‘The Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 (“ERRA”) introduced the first major legislative changes to the whistleblowing provisions in the Employment Rights Act introduced by the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998. Those provisions afford remedies to workers who are subjected to a detriment or dismissed for making ‘protected disclosures’ of ‘relevant failures’.’

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Littleton Chambers, 13th February 2015

Source: www.littletonchambers.com

PM: Staff and members to face criminal offence of ‘wilful neglect’ over CSE – Local Government Lawyer

Posted March 4th, 2015 in children, crime prevention, indecent photographs of children, internet, news, rape, sexual grooming, sexual offences, social services, whistleblowers, wilful neglect by sally

‘The Government is to consult on extending the new criminal offence of ‘wilful neglect’ of patients to children’s social care, education and elected members in a bid to eradicate “the culture of denial”, the Prime Minister has announced.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 3rd March 2015

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Sir Robert Francis’ Review of Whistleblowing Processes in the NHS – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted February 18th, 2015 in health, hospitals, inquiries, news, whistleblowers by sally

‘It has long been recognised that enabling healthcare professionals to speak up about concerns at work is a key element of the promotion of patient safety. The Final Report of the Freedom to Speak Up review of whistleblowing processes in the NHS was published on 11 February 2015.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 16th February 2015

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Tax authorities should prosecute evaders, says Keir Starmer – The Guardian

Posted February 16th, 2015 in banking, fraud, news, select committees, sentencing, tax evasion, taxation, whistleblowers by sally

‘Criminal prosecution for tax evasion should become the default position of the tax authorities, Keir Starmer, the former director of public prosecutions, has said, as HM Revenue and Customs came under further scrutiny over whether it responded to an email from a French whistleblower setting out details of the scale of tax evasion by HSBC.’

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The Guardian, 13th February 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Whistleblowing: ‘It’s still not safe for us to speak out’ – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 12th, 2015 in doctors, health, news, nurses, quality assurance, reports, whistleblowers by sally

‘Whistle-blowers say Sir Robert Francis’s report fails to offer enough protection to staff to who speak out and will not encourage others to come forward.’

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Daily Telegraph, 11th February 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

MoD faces tribunal challenge from whistleblower doctor sacked by text – The Guardian

Posted February 2nd, 2015 in disclosure, employment tribunals, government departments, inquests, Iraq, news, unfair dismissal, whistleblowers by sally

‘An experienced doctor, who has questioned the official explanation for the death of weapons expert David Kelly, was dismissed by text and email while on a family holiday after he blew the whistle about alleged discrepancies in the dispensing of strong painkillers at an army base.’

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The Guardian, 30th January 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Above and below the waterline: IPT finds that Prism and Tempora are lawful – Panopticon

Posted December 8th, 2014 in electronic mail, human rights, intelligence services, internet, news, privacy, whistleblowers by sally

‘The now famous revelations by US whistleblower Edward Snowden focused on US government programmes under which vast amounts of data about individuals’ internet usage and communications were said to have been gathered. The allegations extended beyond the US: the UK government and security agencies, for example, were also said to be involved in such activity.’

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Panopticon, 5th December 2014

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

What does Duty of Candour mean for employers? – Cloisters

Posted December 3rd, 2014 in employment, health & safety, medical treatment, news, personal injuries, regulations, whistleblowers by sally

‘So far, commentators have focused on the interplay between clinical negligence law and the Duty of Candour. But the latest requirements also have important repercussions for those in regulated professions such as doctors and nurses and their employment relationships. In this article, we look at steps which employers should now consider in light of the new Duty of Candour.’

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Cloisters, 1st December 2014

Source: www.cloisters.com

109 women prosecuted for false rape claims over the last five years – Daily Telegraph

Posted December 3rd, 2014 in domestic violence, miscarriage of justice, news, perverting the course of justice, prosecutions, rape, whistleblowers, women by sally

‘A number of women who report rapes are being ‘aggressively prosecuted’ by the police for perverting the course of justice, according to campaign group Women Against Rape.’

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Daily Telegraph, 2nd December 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Coroner investigates death of woman treated by dentist at centre of alert – The Guardian

Posted November 13th, 2014 in coroners, dentists, health, news, professional conduct, whistleblowers by tracey

‘Investigation trying to establish whether there are any links between 23-year-old woman’s death and the treatment she received.’

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The Guardian, 12th November 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

The need to reform whistleblowing laws – OUP Blog

Posted October 13th, 2014 in bills, disclosure, employment, employment tribunals, news, public interest, unfair dismissal, whistleblowers by sally

‘“Why didn’t anyone in the know say something about it?” That’s the natural reaction of the public when some shocking new scandal – financial wrongdoing, patient neglect, child abuse – comes to light. The question highlights the role of the whistleblower. He or she can play a vital role in ensuring that something is done about activity which is illegal or dangerous. But the price which the whistleblower pays may be high – ostracism by colleagues, victimisation by the employer, dismissal, informal blacklisting by other employers who fear taking on a “troublemaker”.’

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OUP Blog, 11th October 2014

Source: www.blog.oup.com

Treasury ordered to pay £142,000 to ‘whistleblower’ former civil servant – The Guardian

Posted September 29th, 2014 in compensation, costs, employment tribunals, government departments, news, whistleblowers by tracey

‘The Treasury has been ordered to pay £142,000 to a former senior civil servant after refusing to carry out a previous tribunal’s ruling that he should be found another job.’

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The Guardian, 29th September 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

When Is Whistleblowing in the Public Interest? – No. 5 Chambers

Posted September 25th, 2014 in appeals, employment tribunals, news, public interest, whistleblowers by sally

‘Jack Feeny explores the new law in relation to protected disclosures following the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013.’

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No. 5 Chambers, 19th September 2014

Source: www.no5.com

Tax barristers should report colleagues who break rules, Davies says – Legal Futures

Posted August 12th, 2014 in barristers, codes of practice, news, professional conduct, taxation, whistleblowers by sally

‘Tax barristers who have evidence of colleagues breaking the rules should report it to the Bar Standards Board (BSB), chief executive Dr Vanessa Davies has said.’

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Legal Futures, 12th August 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Independent review urges NHS whistleblowers to speak – Daily Telegraph

Posted August 4th, 2014 in hospitals, inquiries, news, standards, whistleblowers by sally

Sir Robert Francis, head of the Mid Staffs public inquiry, calls for an end to a culture of ‘denial and fear’ as he launches first ever independent review of whistleblowing

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Daily Telegraph, 3rd August 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Police disciplinary hearings could be held in public, says Theresa May – The Guardian

Posted July 23rd, 2014 in complaints, disciplinary procedures, news, police, whistleblowers by michael

‘A major shakeup of the police complaints and disciplinary system, including proposals to hold police disciplinary hearings in public, has been announced by the home secretary, Theresa May.’

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The Guardian, 22nd July 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Police chiefs end clampdown on whistleblowers to the media – The Guardian

Posted July 15th, 2014 in codes of practice, confidentiality, disciplinary procedures, media, news, police, whistleblowers by tracey

‘Police chiefs have ended a clampdown on whistleblowers to the media with a new code of ethics that puts officers under a “positive obligation” to challenge failings by their colleagues and their bosses.’

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The Guardian, 15th July 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Council wins FOI battle over legal advice for whistle-blowing investigation – Local Government Lawyer

Posted June 4th, 2014 in appeals, disclosure, freedom of information, local government, news, privilege, public interest, solicitors, tribunals, whistleblowers by tracey

‘A council has won an appeal to the First-Tier Tribunal over its refusal to meet a freedom of information request for the disclosure of legal advice given to a consultant conducting an investigation on the authority’s behalf.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 3rd June 2014

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Bates van Winkelhof v Clyde & Co LLP (Public Concern at Work intervening) – WLR Daily

Posted May 29th, 2014 in appeals, employment, law firms, law reports, limited liability partnerships, partnerships, whistleblowers by michael

Bates van Winkelhof v Clyde & Co LLP (Public Concern at Work intervening) [2014] UKSC 32;  [2014] WLR (D)  222

‘An equity member of a limited liability partnership was a “worker” within the meaning of section 230(3)(b) of the Employment Rights Act 1996 and therefore the employment tribunal had jurisdiction to hear a claim brought by the equity member against the partnership under section 47B of the Act, as inserted.’

WLR Daily, 21st May 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Clyde & Co LLP and another (Respondents) v Bates van Winklehof (Appellant) – Supreme Court

Posted May 28th, 2014 in disclosure, law firms, law reports, limited liability partnerships, whistleblowers by sally

Clyde & Co LLP and another (Respondents) v Bates van Winklehof (Appellant) [2014] UKSC 32 (YouTube)

Supreme Court, 21st May 2014

Source: www.youtube.com/user/UKSupremeCourt