NHS Whistleblowing Disclosure Pack

A written disclosure that says it is a whistleblowing disclosure, names the category in the Act's own terms, sets out what you know and how you know it, why it matters beyond you, and asks for acknowledgement, confidentiality, updates and protection.

[Your address]
[Your email address and phone number]

14 October 2026

Casey Doyle, Director of Nursing
Example NHS Foundation Trust

Dear Casey Doyle,

Subject: Whistleblowing disclosure: concern about patient or staff safety

I am writing to raise a concern in the public interest. I am making a whistleblowing disclosure, and I ask that it is treated as a protected disclosure under Part IVA of the Employment Rights Act 1996 and handled under the Freedom to Speak Up Policy.

Who I am: Alex Morgan, Ward Sister, Band 6, Example NHS Foundation Trust. I am engaged as an employee.

I believe the information below shows that:
- the health or safety of individuals has been, is being, or is likely to be endangered

What I know: On at least six night shifts between July and October 2026, Ward 7 has run with two registered nurses for 28 patients where the roster says four. I have raised it with the matron on three occasions and the roster has not changed. On the night of 3 October one patient had a fall that was not noticed for around forty minutes.
When: from about 14 July 2026, and it is still happening or likely to happen again.
How I know: I saw or heard this myself.

Why this matters beyond me: Patients on Ward 7, many of them older and at risk of falls, are cared for by fewer nurses than the roster says is safe, and other wards may be affected.

I have raised this before: I told the matron, Jo Park, in conversation on 20 July, 17 August and 28 September. She said the vacancy was being recruited to but nothing changed.

Evidence: I hold or can point to my own dated notes, incident reports I made or saw and rotas or staffing records. I have not attached documents containing patient or other confidential information, and I will explain where they are if you ask.

I would be grateful if you would:
- acknowledge this disclosure in writing and tell me who will deal with it, and that they are independent of those involved;
- tell me which policy it will be handled under, the timescale, and when I will be updated;
- keep my identity confidential as far as possible, and tell me before it is shared with anyone who does not need to know it;
- let me know the outcome, as far as confidentiality allows; and
- confirm that no action will be taken against me because I have raised this concern.

[Optional: I am copying this to the trust's Freedom to Speak Up Guardian, [name].]

Yours sincerely,

Alex Morgan
Ward Sister, Band 6

[Delete this line before sending: check every bracketed item, check your trust's own policy and have your union or staff-side rep read it first.]

A structured record that keeps what you saw yourself apart from what you were told and what you believe, with who was present, what you did, who you told, why you think it is true and what you do not know.

PRIVATE RECORD OF WHAT I SAW: Alex Morgan
Written 14 October 2026

[This record is for you. Write it as soon as you can after what you saw, and add to it as things happen. Keep three things apart: what you saw or heard yourself, what other people told you, and what you believe. Do not put patient names or other identifiable information in it: use a ward, date, time or incident reference instead. Do not copy or take confidential documents, because ACAS says taking or passing on documents may breach your contract or other laws: note where they are. Keep it somewhere private, not on a trust system, and follow your trust's rules on personal devices.]

1. When and where
- First noticed: 14 July 2026
- Period it covers: [dates]
- Where it happened: [ward, department, site]

2. What I saw or heard myself
On at least six night shifts between July and October 2026, Ward 7 has run with two registered nurses for 28 patients where the roster says four. I have raised it with the matron on three occasions and the roster has not changed. On the night of 3 October one patient had a fall that was not noticed for around forty minutes.

3. What other people told me
- [Name or role, date, what they told you. Mark it clearly as hearsay.]

4. What I believe or work out from it
- [Your conclusions, labelled as your belief, and why you believe them]

5. Who was there, and who is affected
- Present: [roles, or initials]
- Affected or at risk: Patients on Ward 7, many of them older and at risk of falls, are cared for by fewer nurses than the roster says is safe, and other wards may be affected.

6. Records and systems that show it
- I hold or can point to my own dated notes, incident reports I made or saw and rotas or staffing records.
- Where it is kept: [system, folder, person]

7. What I did at the time
- [Did you stop, report, escalate, make a note? When?]

8. Who I told, and when
- I told the matron, Jo Park, in conversation on 20 July, 17 August and 28 September. She said the vacancy was being recruited to but nothing changed.

9. Why I think it is true, and why it matters beyond me
- Why I believe it: I saw or heard this myself.
- Why it matters: Patients on Ward 7, many of them older and at risk of falls, are cared for by fewer nurses than the roster says is safe, and other wards may be affected.

10. What I do not know
- [Be honest about the gaps. It helps whoever looks at it.]

Signed: ______________________   Date: ______________

[Delete this line before sending: check every bracketed item, check your trust's own policy and have your union or staff-side rep read it first.]

A letter asking the trust to confirm receipt, which policy applies, who is dealing with it and how they are independent, the timescale, how your identity is handled, what support is available, and that no action will be taken against you.

[Your address]
[Your email address and phone number]

14 October 2026

Casey Doyle, Director of Nursing
Example NHS Foundation Trust

Dear Casey Doyle,

Subject: My whistleblowing disclosure of 15 October 2026 - confirmation and process

On 15 October 2026 I raised a concern about patient or staff safety, and asked that it be treated as a protected disclosure. I have not yet received [an acknowledgement / confirmation of how it is being handled / an update].

Please can you confirm, by [date], in writing:
- that you have received my disclosure, and on what date;
- which policy it is being handled under, and a copy of that policy (I understand the Freedom to Speak Up Policy may apply);
- who is dealing with it, and how they are independent of the people and matters involved;
- the timescale, and when I will next be updated;
- who knows that I raised the concern, and how my identity will be kept confidential; and
- what support is available to me.

Please also confirm that no action will be taken against me because I raised this concern. I would like to know whether I may bring Dana Reid to any meeting about it.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

Alex Morgan
Ward Sister, Band 6

[Delete this line before sending: check every bracketed item, check your trust's own policy and have your union or staff-side rep read it first.]

A letter for if you are treated worse after raising the concern: what changed and when, a request to treat it as a complaint of detriment, an independent look, putting it right, and a written reply.

[Delete before sending: you have not said you have been treated worse. Keep this letter for if that happens, and start a dated record of any change now.]

[Your address]
[Your email address and phone number]

14 October 2026

Casey Doyle, Director of Nursing
Example NHS Foundation Trust

Dear Casey Doyle,

Subject: Complaint of detriment since my whistleblowing disclosure - Alex Morgan, Ward Sister, Band 6

On 15 October 2026 I made a whistleblowing disclosure about patient or staff safety. Since then I have been treated worse, and I believe this is connected to my disclosure.

What has happened:
- [what has changed for you since you raised the concern]

In detail: [Give dates and examples: what changed, when, who decided or did it, and how it compares with before you raised the concern.]
The first thing I noticed was on [date] and the most recent on [date].

I understand that workers who raise concerns in the public interest are protected from being treated unfairly because they did so, and that the trust's own policy says the same. I ask the trust to treat this letter as a complaint of detriment.

I ask that the trust:
- looks into what I have described, by someone independent of the people involved, and tells me who that is;
- puts right what has happened, and stops it happening again;
- confirms in writing that no further action will be taken against me because I raised my concern; and
- replies in writing by [date].

Please keep records of the decisions I have described, including emails, rota changes and notes of meetings, and do not destroy them.

I would like Dana Reid to be involved. I am keeping a dated record of events.

Yours sincerely,

Alex Morgan
Ward Sister, Band 6

[Delete before sending: there is a time limit for a tribunal claim about detriment, and ACAS says going through an internal complaint, grievance or appeal does not change it. For most claims where the problem happened on or after 1 October 2026 the limit is 6 months minus 1 day, and notifying ACAS for early conciliation inside it pauses the clock. How the date is counted for a series of acts can be complicated, so check it with Protect, ACAS or your union.]

[Delete this line before sending: check every bracketed item, check your trust's own policy and have your union or staff-side rep read it first.]

One page for your union rep, Protect or a legal adviser: the concern, how you know, who you have told, the dates, the treatment since, the documents and what you want to ask them.

BRIEFING NOTE FOR MY REPRESENTATIVE OR ADVISER: 14 October 2026

1. Who I am
- Alex Morgan, Ward Sister, Band 6, Example NHS Foundation Trust
- How I am engaged: Employee
- Representative or adviser: Dana Reid

2. Where we are
- I am ready to raise it in writing

3. The concern
- Danger to the health or safety of patients, staff or anyone else
- What I know: On at least six night shifts between July and October 2026, Ward 7 has run with two registered nurses for 28 patients where the roster says four. I have raised it with the matron on three occasions and the roster has not changed. On the night of 3 October one patient had a fall that was not noticed for around forty minutes.
- How I know: I saw or heard it myself
- Still happening: yes
- Who is affected, and why it matters beyond me: Patients on Ward 7, many of them older and at risk of falls, are cared for by fewer nurses than the roster says is safe, and other wards may be affected.
- Part of it is about how I was personally treated: no

4. Who I have told, and what happened
- Yes, in conversation
- I told the matron, Jo Park, in conversation on 20 July, 17 August and 28 September. She said the vacancy was being recruited to but nothing changed.
- Who I plan to tell: A senior manager or director
- The concern involves my line manager or the person I would normally tell: no
- Confidentiality: I want my identity kept confidential

5. Evidence
- I hold or can point to my own dated notes, incident reports I made or saw and rotas or staffing records
- Documents copied or taken: no

6. Dates
- First noticed: 14 July 2026
- Concern raised: 15 October 2026

7. Time limits (please check these, I have not)
- There is a time limit for a tribunal claim, and early conciliation has to be notified inside it. Internal processes do not change it.
- [If I am dismissed, interim relief has a seven day limit: please tell me what to do now to be ready.]

8. What I would like from you
- Advice on whether what I have to say is likely to be a protected disclosure, and who I should tell.
- To read my disclosure before I send it.
- Advice on whether to go to a regulator, and which one.
- Advice on documents: what I may keep and what I should not take.
- Support if I am treated badly for raising it.
- [Anything else, or particular worries]

[Delete this line before sending: check every bracketed item, check your trust's own policy and have your union or staff-side rep read it first.]

What gov.uk says the body you chose covers, a message outline in the terms of the law (what you know, how you know, why you believe it is substantially true and why it is within their remit), and a list of the bodies that commonly cover NHS concerns.

DISCLOSURE TO A REGULATOR OR OTHER PRESCRIBED PERSON: OUTLINE
Prepared 14 October 2026 for Alex Morgan

[Employment Rights Act 1996 section 43F protects a disclosure to a prescribed person if you reasonably believe that the failure is within that person's remit and that the information and allegations are substantially true. Check the body is the right one on the gov.uk list of prescribed people and bodies, which was last updated on 15 September 2026 when we checked. ACAS says you can consider telling your employer first, but you may skip steps if that is inappropriate. Take advice before you send anything.]

1. The body I plan to tell
- Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- What gov.uk says it covers: health and social care provision.
- Check: does my concern fall within that? [yes / not sure]

2. Message outline
Subject: Whistleblowing disclosure about patient or staff safety

I am Alex Morgan, Ward Sister, Band 6 at Example NHS Foundation Trust. I am making a disclosure to you as a prescribed person. I ask that you treat it as a protected disclosure and keep my identity confidential.

What my concern is about:
- the health or safety of individuals has been, is being, or is likely to be endangered

What I know: On at least six night shifts between July and October 2026, Ward 7 has run with two registered nurses for 28 patients where the roster says four. I have raised it with the matron on three occasions and the roster has not changed. On the night of 3 October one patient had a fall that was not noticed for around forty minutes.
How I know: I saw or heard this myself.
Why I believe it is substantially true: [your reasons]
Why it is within your remit: [one line]
Who is affected: Patients on Ward 7, many of them older and at risk of falls, are cared for by fewer nurses than the roster says is safe, and other wards may be affected.

What I have already done:
- I told the matron, Jo Park, in conversation on 20 July, 17 August and 28 September. She said the vacancy was being recruited to but nothing changed.

Evidence:
- I hold or can point to my own dated notes, incident reports I made or saw and rotas or staffing records. I have not attached anything containing patient or other confidential information.

How to contact me: [safe email and phone, and when it is safe to call]
I understand you may not be able to tell me what you do with this. I would be grateful to know that you have received it.

Alex Morgan

3. Bodies that commonly cover NHS concerns (from gov.uk, check the list for others)
- Care Quality Commission (CQC): health and social care provision.
- NHS England: the regulation and performance of English NHS trusts and foundation trusts, primary care services, the licensing of NHS care providers, NHS education and training, and oversight of integrated care boards.
- Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC): registration and fitness to practise of nurses and midwives in the UK, and nursing associates in England.
- General Medical Council (GMC): registration and fitness to practise of doctors.
- Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC): registration and fitness to practise of the professions it regulates.
- General Pharmaceutical Council: registration and fitness to practise of pharmacy professionals and regulated activities at registered pharmacy premises.
- Health and Safety Executive (HSE): workplace health and safety and public health and safety arising from work activities.
- Healthcare Improvement Scotland: the safety and quality of healthcare in Scotland.
- Healthcare Inspectorate Wales: healthcare provided by Welsh NHS bodies, regulated care establishments and private dental practices, and the use of the Mental Health Act 1983 in Wales.
- Information Commissioner: compliance with data protection and freedom of information law.
- NHS Counter Fraud Authority: fraud, bribery, corruption and other unlawful activity affecting the health service in England and Wales.
- Comptroller and Auditor General: the proper conduct of public business, value for money, and fraud and corruption in the provision of public services.
- Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (NHS Scotland whistleblowing): NHS Scotland whistleblowing; its Independent National Whistleblowing Officer is the final stage for NHS Scotland concerns.

4. Things to check before you send
- You have taken advice from your union, Protect or a legal adviser.
- Your message contains nothing that identifies a patient.
- You have not copied or taken documents you are not allowed to.
- You know what you will do if you are treated worse afterwards: see document 4.

[Delete this line before sending: check every bracketed item, check your trust's own policy and have your union or staff-side rep read it first.]