Read the Whistleblowing disclosures report 2023, published jointly by the GMC with the General Chiropractic Council, General Dental Council, General Optical Council, General Osteopathic Council, General Pharmaceutical Council, Health and Care Professions Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council and Social Work England. 

General Medical Council

The report shows that, between April 2022 and March this year, 48 concerns were raised with the GMC by whistleblowers. That’s a drop of 23% when compared to 62 in 2021/22.

Of the 48 concerns raised in the 12-month period, 24 were by doctors, 11 by other healthcare professionals and 13 were anonymous.

All but one of the 48 were reviewed by the GMC’s fitness to practise team. Of those:

  • 36 were closed after an initial assessment.
  • 11 resulted in either a preliminary or full investigation, of which six have been closed and five are still going through the investigation process.

Nursing & Midwifery Council

In 2022-23, the NMC took 167 forms of action in relation to 137 whistleblowing disclosures. This compares to 152 disclosures received in the previous year. The NMC referred 47 disclosures to other regulators so that they could take action.  

The most common themes of these disclosures were about patient safety and care, unprofessional behaviour – including bullying, intimidation or harassment of colleagues – and health and safety.  

Insight Works Training

General Dental Council

The GDC received 82 reports in 2023, compared to 61 last year. This was a return to the level of disclosures it had received in previous years, indicating last year may have been an outlier.

Compared to other regulators we received a higher proportion of disclosures for the size of our register. Most dentistry is provided in a primary care setting and outside the more robust clinical governance frameworks that characterise some other forms of healthcare, and this may mean that alternative disclosure routes are less present in dentistry, with a larger proportion being dealt with by us.

General Pharmaceutical Council

None

Health and Care Professions Council

None

General Osteopathic Council

GOsC received four whistleblowing disclosures in this period, two more than last year. One is under review and three disclosures have been closed.

Social Work England

None

Disclaimer: The accuracy and information of news stories published on this website is accurate on the date of publishing. We endeavour to update stories if information change. You can contact us with change and update requests. Where possible, we will link to sources. Content on this website is for guidance purposes only. We cannot accept any responsibility or liability whatsoever for any action taken, or not taken. You should seek the appropriate legal advice having regard to your own particular circumstances.