Calls to a legal helpline for whistleblowers are on the rise, with demand highest in the health and social work sectors and from those on lower incomes.
The whistleblowing charity Protect worked on 3,336 cases in 2024, up 10% on 2023. Protect’s legal advice helpline is supervised by a qualified solicitor.
Some 30% of callers worked in health and social work. At the time of their call, more than two-thirds (68%) said they faced victimisation or felt forced to resign and 40% had their concern ignored by their employer.
Elizabeth Gardiner, chief executive of Protect, said: ‘More than half (51%) of callers to our whistleblowing Advice Line earn less than £30,000. These are often workers in the charity or health and social work sectors raising safeguarding issues or concerns about patient safety.’
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