Protected Disclosures
A protected disclosure, also known as 'whistleblowing', occurs when a worker raises a concern or discloses information which relates to wrongdoing, illegal practices or unethical conduct which has come to his/her attention through work.
We have procedures in place to manage protected disclosures made through both internal and external reporting channels.
The Protected Disclosures Act 2014 (as amended) enables workers to raise a concern regarding potential wrongdoing in their workplace by ensuring safeguards exist should reprisals be taken against them by their employer for doing so.
External Reporting Channel (Members of the Pharmacy Profession and Pharmacies)
We have a Protected Disclosures Policy (External Channel) for dealing with protected disclosures received by the Registrar of the PSI, as a Prescribed Person under the relevant legislation. This means that the Registrar is prescribed as a recipient for all matters relating to the regulation of the profession of pharmacy and pharmacies in the State, including the PSI’s responsibility for supervision of compliance with the Pharmacy Act 2007.
A disclosure made to the Registrar, as a prescribed person, is a protected disclosure if the following conditions are met:
- You reasonably believe that the relevant wrongdoing is within the remit of the Registrar as they have regulatory functions within the area, which are the subject of the allegations.
- The information you disclose and any allegation in it came to your attention in connection with your employment and the allegations are substantially true.
If you wish to make a protected disclosure to the Registrar regarding a member of the pharmacy profession or a pharmacy, the protected disclosure should, if possible, be made in writing, but it may also be made verbally by contacting the PSI’s External Protected Disclosure Officer:
Protected Disclosure Officer (External Channel)
Damhnait Gaughan
Email: protecteddisclosure@psi.ie
Phone: 01-2184000
Internal Reporting Channel
If the PSI is your employer and you fall under the definition of a worker - meaning that you are a current or former employee, a volunteer, an independent contractor, a trainee or a job candidate - then you can use the internal reporting channel to make a protected disclosure about the PSI. Our Protected Disclosure Policy (Internal Channel) provides further information about how to make a protected disclosure.
In the first instance the person making the protected disclosure should contact the PSI’s Internal Protected Disclosure Officer:
Protected Disclosure Officer (Internal Channel)
Des Butler
Email: des.butler@psi.ie
Phone: 01-218 40031
Protected Disclosures Reports
Each year the PSI reports on the protected disclosures it received in the previous year, both from its own workers and from anyone else outside the organisation.
