Chief Executive Fortnightly Blog to NHS Orkney Staff – 24 March 2025

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Message for All NHSO Staff 

Our Executive Lead for whistleblowing is changing to our Medical Director

In this week’s blog I focus on the ways we listen and the work we’re doing to create a culture where you feel safer speaking up when you have concerns, including safety concerns, or have feedback to share about what it’s like to work here.

It’s important that you know there are lots of places you can turn to for advice or for your concerns to be looked into – so you feel heard and supported.

In response to your feedback and, now we have a substantive Medical Director, the Executive Director responsibility for Whistleblowing is transferring from myself to our Medical Director, Dr Anna Lamont, from 1 April 2025.

Anna’s email address is anna.lamont@nhs.scot and our general Whistleblowing email address is ork.whistleblowing@nhs.scot.

I know Anna will be in touch with you all to discuss her plans for taking this really important agenda forward and will share her thoughts and plans for 2025/26 with you in due course. These will also be included in the 2024/25 Whistleblowing Annual Report which will be published in the months to come, and will include areas such are:

  1. Sharing our organisation-wide learning from a recent case from NHS Orkney that has been upheld by the Independent National Whistleblowing Officer – and ensure that progress against the action plan resulting from it is overseen by our Staff Governance Committee to ensure Board-level oversight. More to follow on this in the months to come
  2. We will proactively promote, in our communications, that we will offer other Board support/independent person to consider cases for every whistleblowing case – recognising the challenges of being a small Board can bring when it comes to whistleblowing concerns, confidentiality and anonymity
  3. Introducing annual refresher training for our Confidential Contacts and offering opportunities for leaders at NHS Orkney to become more familiar with the Whistleblowing Standards to further raise awareness and understanding

There are many ways in which you can share your feedback with us (the menu of options for ‘the ways we listen’) – and these are as follows:

  1. Your Line Manager
  2. Employee Director and Unions
  3. Patient Safety, Quality and Risk Team
  4. Confidential Contacts (we have 3 Confidential Contacts at NHS Orkney)
  5. Lead Executive for Whistleblowing (Medical Director)
  6. Counter Fraud
  7. Whistleblowing Champion
  8. Independent National Whistleblowing Officer (INWO)

One of the options for you to turn to, as above, if you have a concern are our Confidential Contacts, who are here to provide a safe space for you to discuss any concerns you may have. They will listen, present options to you to help you make informed decisions and will signpost you to appropriate support so that your concern or worry can be listened to and resolved in the way you wish. Your wishes will also be respected, including confidentiality and anonymity if you choose this.

As a reminder, we have three Confidential Contacts who are here to listen and support you at NHS Orkney. They are: 

Kate Smith, Lead CT Radiographer

kate.smith@nhs.scot, 01856 888920

Sharon Keyes, Head of Facilities and NPD Contract

sharon.keyes@nhs.scot, 01856 888990

Mandy Ward, Facilities Manager

mandy.ward@nhs.scot, 01856 888919

For more information – head to The blog or to the website here.

Have a great week everyone.

Thank you

Laura Skaife-Knight

CEO