NHS organisations will be required to have localised "whistleblowing" policies in place following a recent agreement by the members of the NHS Staff Council.

As reported in HR Magazine, the Staff Council has agreed that all workers in the NHS, from those in nurse manager jobs to facilities staff, ward sisters or doctors, have a contractual right and even a duty to raise concerns about malpractice or patient safety with their employer.

Accordingly, future NHS terms and conditions of service handbooks will require NHS organisations to have policies in place which emphasise that staff should feel able to raise such concerns in the workplace without fear of reprisal - and which set out clear procedures for doing so. These policies should be developed in partnership with and signed off by representatives for the staff for each of the local areas in the NHS and will be subject to regular review as well as monitoring of the use of policy.

"Putting effective whistleblowing policies into hospitals across the country will be a major step forward, shining a light on malpractice and leading to better patient care" said Mike Jackson, employee side chair of the Staff Council and the senior national officer for health at Unison.

"We must create a climate where staff feel they are able to raise their concerns without the fear of reprisals."

Greg Allen, the chair for the employer side of the NHS staff council and director HR at NHS Devon, said: "All staff should know that they have a responsibility and obligation to raise concerns responsibly without fear of discrimination or punishment."