Whistleblowing and ethics in health and social care: speaking out

Those who speak up about poor, corrupt or unethical practice often do so at a great personal cost. This timely book explores our understanding of the ethics of whistleblowing and shows how managers and organisations can support individuals speaking out.

While some professional guidelines formalize duties to speak out where there are concerns about poor or harmful practice, workplace cultures often do not encourage or support this, and individuals frequently find themselves victims of a backlash. This book looks at the social, cultural and systemic reasons that make speaking out about poor care so risky. The book looks at the ethics of whistleblowing, and why some people speak out about corrupt or harmful practice, but many do not. It offers a practical framework for creating ethically driven health and social care organizations that support and protect individuals speaking out.

Whistleblowing and Ethics in Health and Social Care is essential reading for students, professionals and decision makers across health, social care and criminal justice.