NHS whistleblowers to be protected

Staff working in the NHS who choose to "blow the whistle" will be protected in the future thanks to changes to the NHS Constitution.

The health secretary Andrew Lansley said the changes have been made to encourage more staff to come forward with concerns.

Changes to the NHS Constitution, which will be implemented in early 2012, follow the poor care exposed by the Care Quality Commission last week during the surprise inspection of 100 NHS hospitals.

Mr Lansley said: "The first lines of defence against bad practice are the doctors and nurses doing their best to care for patients. They need to know that they have a responsibility to their patients to raise concerns if they see risks to patient safety. And when they do, they should be reassured that the Government stands full square behind them."

Dean Royles, director of the NHS Employers organisation has welcomed the recommended changes to the constitution.

He explained that they provide greater clarity on the responsibilities of staff and employers to report concerns and act on them.

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