Public Concern at Work (PCaW), have released a review of the charity’s activities looking back over the past five years. The review, ‘Whistleblowing: Time for change’, highlights:

• The ongoing difficulties experienced by whistleblowers including: their regulator questioning their professional status; manipulation of crime figures in the police; and courtroom battles with the NHS.
• Four out of five whistleblowers experience negative final outcomes.
• Seeking advice at an early stage is the most effective action a whistleblower can take (positive outcomes doubled), however 70% of workers seek advice after they have blown the whistle.
• A small continuous drop in the number of individuals who would raise a concern about serious malpractice.
• A call to government to place PCaW’s Code of Practice for whistleblowing on a statutory footing.

PCaW say that while the whistleblowing landscape has changed immensely, the power and responsibility to ensure workers are confident they will be encouraged and protected when they speak up rests with employers.

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