Public Interest Disclosures
Employees and workers who make public disclosures, generally about wrong doings in the workplace, are commonly referred to as “whistleblowers”. Under certain circumstances “whistleblowers” are protected under legislation for disclosing information that is known as “qualifying”. A qualifying disclosure must relate to:
- committing a criminal offence,
- failing to comply with a legal obligation,
- a miscarriage of justice,
- endangering the health and safety of an individual,
- environmental damage,
- concealing any information relating to the above.
All employees are legally protected if they make a qualifying disclosure relating to any of the above points. UK-Med employees who want to make a disclosure are strongly recommended to raise the issue with Management in the first instance so that, where appropriate, there is an opportunity to address the area of concern. The aim of this procedure is to provide an internal mechanism for reporting and investigating any malpractice in UK-Med. Employees are also able to raise the issue with the Board of Trustees of UK-Med by contacting the following email address: board@uk-med.org
However, the law recognises that in some circumstances it is appropriate to report concerns to an external body such as a regulator.
Disclosers should normally seek advice before reporting a concern to anyone external. The independent whistle blowing charity, Public Concern at Work, operates a confidential helpline and has a list of prescribed regulators for reporting certain types of concern. Their contact details are found at www.pcaw.org.uk
Extract from UK-Med Employee Handbook