Author Emma Game is Employment Rights Solicitor, Thompsons Solicitors The roles and responsibilities of neuroscience nurses mean that their ability to make a protected disclosure in the public interest without fear of detriment from their employers is critical to patient wellbeing. Yet recent events have exposed a hostile attitude toward whistleblowers in the NHS, and the law currently offers insufficient protection. It is therefore important for health professionals to be aware of their rights, to safeguard both patients and their own career. The shocking revelations of unacceptable standards of patient care and a culture that deterred whistle blowers at MidStaffordshire NHS Foundation Trust have shown that, when the welfare of vulnerable people is at stake, the ability of an employee to blow the whistle without fear of detriment is vital. Yet, despite these revelations and the conclusions of the (2013) Francis Report on Mid Staffordshire, recent claims by staff at Colchester General Hospital that they were ‘pressurised or bullied’ (Meikle, 2013) into falsifying patient data have thrown the spotlight back onto the attitude to whistleblowers in the NHS. The law as it currently stands is restrictive and lacking clarity on what constitutes a ‘qualifying’ disclosure, presenting a legal minefield to a whistle blower that, if not navigated correctly, could ruin their career. The government is currently considering submissions to a consultation to identify whether there are aspects of the law governing whistleblowing that may not be protecting whistleblowers and could be deterring them from coming forward. How the government will respond to this consultation remains to be seen, and even significant changes in policy are unlikely to change an internal culture set against whistleblowers. Inadequate resourcing for frontline services has already made maintaining the highest standards of care more diffi cult for health professionals. Moreover, in an occupation where working as part of multidisciplinary teams and holding highlevel discussions about the welfare of vulnerable patients are part of every day life, neuroscience nurses could encounter many situations where they feel the need to make a disclosure. In such a difficult climate for whistleblow ers, one benefit of union membership is that a potential whistleblower can make an anonymous disclosure through their union without risking the wrath of their employers, and can receive vital legal support throughout the process.