Mishandled concerns about clinical standards resulted in whistleblowing in four Australian hospitals. Official inquiries followed with recommendations to improve patient safety. In the aftermath of the inquiries, common themes included loss of trust in management and among clinical colleagues, and loss of trust from patients and the community. Without first rebuilding trust, staff will not repo...

in a recent article, mannion and davies argue that there are a multitude of ways in which organizations (such as the national health service [nhs]) can deal with wrongdoing or ethical problems, including the formation of policies that encourage and protect would-be whistleblowers. however, it is important to distinguish internal reporting about wrongdoing from whistleblowing proper, because the...

This paper enquires into the nature and the extent of the obligations of nurses. It is argued that nurses appear to be obliged to undertake supererogatory acts if they take clause one of the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting (UKCC) Code of Professional Conduct seriously (as, indeed, they are required to do). In the first part of the paper, the nature of n...

“The greatest rogue in the whole land is, and will remain, the informer”. This is a quote attributed to Hoffmann von Fallersleben (1798-1874), author of the lyrics of the German national anthem. It is frequently used by those who want to block any discussion on the necessity to support whistleblowers and the concept of whistleblowing in Germany. After two dictatorships using denunciations as a ...

mannion and davies’ article recognises whistleblowing as an important means of identifying quality and safety issues in healthcare organisations. while ‘voice’ is a useful lens through which to examine whistleblowing, it also obscures a shifting pattern of uncertain ‘truths.’ by contextualising cultures which support or impede whislteblowing at an organisational level, two issues are overlooked...

mannion and davies’ article recognises whistleblowing as an important means of identifying quality and safety issues in healthcare organisations. while ‘voice’ is a useful lens through which to examine whistleblowing, it also obscures a shifting pattern of uncertain ‘truths.’ by contextualising cultures which support or impede whislteblowing at an organisational level, two issues are overlooked...

Mannion and Davies’ article recognises whistleblowing as an important means of identifying quality and safety issues in healthcare organisations. While ‘voice’ is a useful lens through which to examine whistleblowing, it also obscures a shifting pattern of uncertain ‘truths.’ By contextualising cultures which support or impede whislteblowing at an organisational level, two issues are overlooked...

In a recent article, Mannion and Davies argue that there are a multitude of ways in which organizations (such as the National Health Service [NHS]) can deal with wrongdoing or ethical problems, including the formation of policies that encourage and protect would-be whistleblowers. However, it is important to distinguish internal reporting about wrongdoing from whistleblowing proper, because the...

Medical school curricula and postgraduate education programmes expend considerable resources teaching medical ethics. Simultaneously, whistleblowers' agitation continues, at great personal cost, to prompt major intrainstitutional and public inquiries that reveal problems with the application of medical ethics at particular clinical "coalfaces". Virtue ethics, emphasising techniques promoting an...