Submission to the study on the protection of sources and whistleblowers Date of submission.  24th June 2015  Written by Dr Rita Pal, NHS Whistleblower, United Kingdom.   1. My name is Dr Rita Pal, I am based in the United Kingdom. I was an evidence based                                     whistleblower during my time as a junior doctor in 1999. It took me almost a decade to                                 unearth the evidence to verify my justified concerns on patient safety. I have been                           subjected to serious whistleblower reprisals resulting in extensive satellite litigation and                     have fought against a sustained smear campaign since 1999. I remain unsupported by                         any human rights organisation despite numerous approaches. Legal assistance has                   been scarce and has only been obtained as specific lawyers being kind enough to                           represent me due to the merits of my cases. Whistleblower reprisals has resulted in                           catastrophic consequences to my livelihood as a doctor with no state support to retrain                           into a different career. The United Kingdom remains unsupportive and dismissive of                       medical whistleblowers and watches with glee while state machinery is engaged in                       revolving door reprisal. The country remains broadly unaccountable for its actions                     towards me and many other medical whistleblowers. This is despite inquiries like the                         Bristol and Shipman Inquiries outlining the serious problems in the UK. Details of my                           case is available on www.ritapal.info   2. The main problem with the United Kingdom is that its whistleblowing legislation is                           flawed and does not actually work. This is demonstrated by the research conducted by                           Lewis et al .http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10551­008­9899­5#page­1. The         government has no insight into its flaws and continues to conduct state funded lip                           service inquiries that selects its subjects, fails to hold anyone to account and continues                           to make recommendations that are never applied properly in reality. Inquiries are                       normally public show trials designed to falsely increase public confidence while leaving                       serious problems unresolved.  3. I enclose our research paper ­ Patient Safety and Whistleblowing that summarises and expands on the above points. This can be downloaded here      http://jrs.sagepub.com/content/104/7/278.full . Medical whistleblowing is essentially a             subset of the general manner in which whistleblowing is handled in the United Kingdom.                           The recent  

Audit Commission report is a useful summary             http://www.nao.org.uk/wp­content/uploads/2015/03/Making­a­whistleblowing­policy­work.pdf   4. In terms of individual rights, it is not only Edward Snowdon/Wikileaks that deserves                           the attention and resources of international organisations. Average whistleblowers do as                     well. Currently, the UK has had Operation Elvedon that has demonstrated the                       persecution of whistleblowers and journalists in the United Kingdom. This has                     commanded little attention internationally.       http://www.theguardian.com/uk­news/2015/apr/27/operation­elveden­police­cps­criticism­not­guilty­journalists . If journalists are being censored in a democratic society then                       there are some serious problems. These problems in the west are left neglected.                         Individuals are left without support or redress for the catastrophic consequences on                       their lives. There is little or no accountability for the widespread problems we see in the                               United Kingdom today.   5. There is very little in terms of local, national and international support for                           whistleblowers who have not chased media attention. As the current Special Rapporteur                       for Freedom of Expression recently admitted, the United Nations is short of resources.                         That maybe so but it does not assist the situation on the ground. There has to be a                                   system where whistleblowers are referred to human rights organisations for support and                       advocacy in the interim. Essentially, average whistleblowers like myself are left with no                         resources and no support. While some of us are resourceful, others would sink under                           the pressure with serious psychiatric morbidity and subsequent mortality. Very few have                       the knowledge that individuals have access to the individual complaints procedure at                       the United Nations. Even if they are told, sadly the view from the shop floor is that the                                   United Nations is far removed from individuals and is unlikely to assist those who have                             not gained support from human rights groups. I believe that this should not be the case                               and that the United Nations should take the lead in collecting data on whistleblowing,                           improving the guidance given to the various countries and monitoring whether policies                       and procedures have been in place to improve matters. At present, countries are left to                             their own devices to appease themselves that they are capable of handling                       whistleblowing. In reality, the United Kingdom’s record is far from perfect with no sign of                             improvement apart from well crafted media headlines. It should be noted that well                         crafted media headlines do not improve the circumstances on the ground.                     Whistleblowing is an important area to ensure accountability. It is important because                       public safety relies upon it. Without proper accountability, there will be failings in public                           safety that will in the end affect the public purse.  

 6. I represent a small group that does not chase fame like Edward Snowdon or                             Wikileaks. We simply try and manage to cope with our lives as best as we can without                                 any support. Simply because one is not famous does not mean whistleblowers do not                           deserve support, representation or help. It is important for international organisations to                       act on merit as opposed a media driven profile. Logically, the higher the profile, the                             more support the whistleblower will have. With lower profile, the vulnerability level is                         higher. It is therefore reasonable that support should reach the more vulnerable.   7. An important point on whistleblowers is this. Many whistleblowers are capable,brave                       and intelligent individuals. They are often labelled as “victims” . This “victimhood” needs                         to be challenged and a more constructive approach to whistleblowers is needed. Every                         evidence based whistleblower requires good legal representation, career counselling                 and assistance to continue in a livelihood [whatever that livelihood is]. It is not                           acceptable for the state to leave whistleblowers unemployable and then stamp them                       with a “helpless victim” label. I believe it is unconstructive to develop negative                         perceptions or labels for whistleblowers. There should be some recognition of their                       bravery by offering them the chance to rebuild their lives properly.   8. I think national and international support needs improvement and it would assist the UK to have a National Whistleblowing Center much like the USA. Legal representations in the UK is scarce http://www.lawgazette.co.uk/majority­of­whistleblowers­left­without­legal­representation/5048909.fullarticle. Currently, it is virtually impossible to arrange any kind of advocacy to the United Nations if that is required after local remedies have been exhausted. The local Equality and Human Rights Commission, Transparency International, Amnesty International and other leading human rights organisations are not in a position to assist as confirmed to me by email.   9.It will also assist individuals if the administration of their complaints by the UN was                             done using an online secure electronic system where progress can be monitored by all                           parties responsible. This will mean whistleblowing data can be collected and used for                         detailed research and complainants can have regular updates on the progress of their                         complaints. Only with good reliable research, will the UN be able to make                         recommendations that will actually be effective. In addition, options by the UN for                         referrals to other organisations needs to be implemented urgently so whistleblowers are                       assisted in time before real damage has occurred. Valuable data is already being lost                           as whistleblowers are unaware of their rights, are not offered help and eventually                         

disappear from the public radar. This is unconstructive and will not serve to improve the                             future of public safety.  10.In summary, United Nations should ensure further publicity in countries like the                       United Kingdom so individuals are aware of procedures available internationally to                     resolve problems that have been failed on a national level.   I have seen the good work the United Nations has done in Gaza and other regions of                                 conflict. I hope the same work can be done for whistleblowers who are in dire need of                                 support as they often exist as fugitives persecuted by their state. I believe that it can                               and should take the lead in whistleblowing thereby ensuring accountability and issuing                       directives on methods of improving policies and procedures in countries like the UK so                           that individual rights and public safety are preserved. If this is done successfully,                         certainly public safety will improve. This in turn will ensure that there is public                           accountability, safety nets for whistleblowers and protection for the public purse.