PATIENTS in Scotland are being encouraged to act as "whistleblowers" for the NHS in a new charter.
The General Medical Council has launched a guide for patients that urges the public to report breaches of care by doctors in hospitals or general practice. Patients are also reminded that there is a requirement on doctors to report complaints, including accidents and mistakes.
Nurses, meanwhile, have called for better support for whistleblowers from within the profession, amid concern that complaints are not acted upon.
A Royal College of Nursing study found 60% of the 8262 RCN members asked about the issue said better support for whistleblowers was needed.
RCN Scotland director Theresa Fyffe said it was "desperately worrying" nurses did not believe they would be listened to, "despite all the rhetoric and noise about changing the culture of our NHS".
The Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh welcomed the new charter.
New figures show 64 people complained about the scandal-hit Mid-Staffordshire hospital trust between August 2005 and March 2009 but the Department of Health did not investigate any of these.
Dr Neil Dewhurst, president of the Royal College of Physicians, said the events at Mid Staffordshire had brought "into sharp focus" the need to ensure that poor standards of care do not go unreported. He said: "In this regard the patient guide is to be particularly welcomed for advising patients about the standards of care to be expected and what to do if they are concerned about this.
"Doctors throughout the NHS provide a high standard of care to patients. However, the competing and often intense pressures on doctors throughout Scotland and the UK continue to prove very challenging and leave potential for poor standards of care to occur.
"We must work to make sure this does not happen."
The new charter also reminds patients that while they may be given a number of treatment options, it is their right to decide on a course of action.
Mr Dewhurst said: "At its cornerstone is the need for doctors to ensure a high degree of professionalism in all dealings with patients.
"Such care should always be based upon best evidence and doctors must ensure that their skills and knowledge are kept up to date to facilitate this." The new charter follows the launch last month of a patient safety programme for Scottish GPs. Practices will be expected to carry out safety surveys and case note reviews and improve patient record keeping.
Ms Fyffe said she hoped the Scottish Government's confidential alert line would help staff to raise concerns but added: "It would not be necessary if managers and health boards listened to staff and took action, using existing policies."
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