Whisleblowers Beware

A paramedic whistleblower has been banned from two hospitals after he reported overcrowding in A&E. Stuart Gardner, of West Midlands Ambulance Service, received the ban after  telling the BBC under-pressure emergency units were "not safe". 'He said the chief operating officer (COO) of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust has told him he was "not welcome" on either of its sites. The trust said the ban was imposed as Mr Gardner's comments had upset staff.' (BBC News, 15 January) Things have come to a strange conclusion when whistleblowers are disciplined for doing what their job dictates they should be doing. RD