Health Committee

House of Commons London SW1A 0AA

From Dr Sarah Wollaston MP, Chair

Letter by e-mail to Sharmila.chowdhury

8 January 2016

Dear Ms Chowdhury

Thank you for your further correspondence of 17 September and 11 October. I am sorry that it has taken some time to respond.

While I am sorry to hear that your situation remains very difficult, as I explained when I wrote to you in July, it is outside the Health Committee’s remit to take action on individual cases. I am pleased to learn that you are obtaining assistance from your constituency MP, Rupa Huq.

As you are aware, in a speech he gave in February last year the Secretary of State announced that the Government would legislate to protect whistleblowers applying for NHS jobs from discrimination from prospective employers and that Monitor, the TDA and NHS England would provide practical help to whistleblowers seeking future employment. Those three bodies are currently seeking views on a draft whistleblowing policy for the NHS and would like to hear from former and current NHS staff. Details of the consultation are available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/476850

/2_national_whistleblowing_policy_and_consultation_FINAL.pdf

In addition, the Care Quality Commission has just announced that it has appointed its first national guardian for the freedom to speak up within the NHS.

I hope that the steps being taken provide some reassurance to you that progress is being made in this area as the Government responds to issues raised both in Parliament and by Sir Robert Francis in his ‘Freedom to Speak Up’ review.

Yours sincerely

Dr Sarah Wollaston MP

Chair of the Committee