2024029

Information requested

Relating to policies and procedures within the NHS Counter Fraud Authority as an organisation:

1. Does your department / organisation have a documented Whistleblowing / Speak up policy? If so, please provide copies of relevant policies in force during January 2020 - present. (If there has been no change to a policy during that time, it is fine to provide just one copy.)
2. Does your department / organisation have a documented Whistleblowing / Speak up procedure (if not already in your policy)? If so, please provide copies of relevant policies in force during January 2020 - present. (If there has been no change to a policy during that time, it is fine to provide just one copy.)

Relating to external organisations who provide whistleblowing hotlines that may receive reports by email, phone, online. Examples include Navex, Face Up, HR Accuity, AuditBoard, SAI360 etc. NB: This is not Protect (the whistleblowing charity). The questions are:

3. Does your department / organisation use an externally-managed, commercial whistleblowing / speak up service? Please provide details of the service used (e.g. Name, approximate date of implementation).
4. Since January 2020, has your department / organisation considered the use of externally-managed, commercial whistleblowing / speak up system? (This may be a project, proposal, request for procurement, internal goal-setting.) If so, please provide reasons for the decision to use or not to use such a service.

NHSCFA response

1. The Authority has a documented Whistleblowing policy and a documented Freedom to Speak Up policy. The policies and the procedures can be found within the documents attached – ‘Whistleblowing – Concern at Work’ and ‘Freedom to Speak Up Policy’,
2. The procedures can be found in the attached documents.
3. The NHS Counter Fraud Authority does not use an externally-managed commercial whistleblowing speak up service of those listed in your request. However, the Authority utilises Crimestoppers as an external organisation which provides a fraud reporting line, which can be used by whistleblowers.
4. The Authority has not considered this. Please refer to the response in (3).