Staff must not be gagged (From Malvern Gazette)

Staff must not be gagged

11:00am Monday 11th March 2013 in News

HOSPITAL staff in Worcester should never be “gagged” to stop them speaking out over important issues, a senior health trust employee has claimed.

Bev Edgar, interim director of workforce and organisational development at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said doctors and nurses should not feel restricted from “blowing the whistle” onimportantissues.

The NHS has been in the headlines after it was revealed that almost £15 million was spent nationally ongagging orders over athree-yearperiodupto2011.

Ms Edgar was grilled from the public gallery at this week’s trust board meeting over whether staff at Worcestershire Royal, Kidderminster and Redditch Alexandra hospitals had “open and viable opportunities to raise any concerns about patient care”.

She said that not a single gagging order had been issued during her 17 months atthe trust.

“I think it is really important that no staff member should feel restricted from blowing the whistle on any important issue,”

she said.

But she said she would only want staff to blow the whistle after exhausting all other options.