Whistle-blowers are the unsung heroes of the NHS For a while now, politicians have been saying that NHS whistle-blowers must be protected, but little has been done to ensure this. Although a helpline was launched at the end of last year for NHS employees who had concerns, there seemed no way of ensuring that those who spoke out would be protected. It appears, however, that at last the problems are being taken seriously, in some quarters at least. The GMC last week announced that it will be writing to every doctor, advising that they never sign a contract that contains a gagging clause to prevent them speaking out against bad practice. The GMC is rightly emphasising that such clauses interfere with a doctor's duty of care towards a patient. But while this move must be applauded, it seems that this focus on openness and patient welfare hasn't reached every corner of the NHS. It has emerged that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) - the health watchdog responsible for protecting whistle-blowers - has, itself, asked at least six former employers to sign confidentiality agreements. The CQC offered six individuals severance packages on condition that they signed a contract promising that they would not "make or repeat any statement which disparages or is intended to disparage the goodwill or reputation of the CQC or any Specified Person"." This is the same CQC that has been dogged by controversy and claims that it is failing patients in its role as regulator for NHS hospitals and care homes. A damning report by the Health Select Committee last September accused the CQC of not doing enough to protect patients and focusing on bureaucracy instead. It has also been found to have misled Parliament over the number of inspections it has undertaken, and, in 2009, a leaked letter revealed that employers had complained of a "bullying culture." It is a disgrace that any public organisation can put restrictions on former employees speaking out about what they perceive to be wrong. It's all very well, then, the GMC saying that doctors shouldn't sign confidentiality contracts, but this should apply to all who work in the NHS. Most importantly, we should be targeting those who draw up these contracts. There is no place for gagging clauses in the NHS - they should be banned. The most galling present I've ever received A nurse in Carlisle has been found guilty of misconduct and received a caution from the Nursing and Midwifery Council after they heard that she had received cash and gifts from a patient during an 11-month affair. The Council quite rightly found that she had failed to maintain professional boundaries and had undermined the reputation of her profession. The patient paid for hotel rooms and bought her a television, clothes and even a car. I couldn't help but think of the presents I've been given by patients over the years. Aside from boxes of chocolates, a patient once gave me two of the gallstones she had recently had removed, to thank me for referring her for the operation. I remember staring at them as they sat in the gift box, not quite sure what to say. She had thought that maybe I could have them made into cufflinks. It was one of those instances when I felt the response "really, you shouldn't have" was very appropriate.