We believe that we are a university which operates with honesty and integrity. However we know that, as with any organisation, things can go wrong. We believe that the best way to reduce the risk to our university is to foster a culture of openness and engagement. We want staff, students and members of the public to have access to a straightforward and user-friendly way of reporting whistleblowing complaints, so that suspected wrongdoing can be reported as soon as possible. This gives us the best possible chance of putting things right.
We would like to reassure you that any complaints you raise through this process will be taken seriously and will be investigated appropriately.
What issues can I raise using this process?
You can raise any issue of wrongdoing or suspected wrongdoing under this policy, with a few exceptions. You can also raise an issue where you believe that wrongdoing is being concealed.
The exceptions to this are where your complaint relates to your own personal circumstances, either as a student or a member of staff. Student complaints should be raised under the Student Complaints or Academic Appeal procedures. Staff complaints should be raised under the University’s Grievance Process.
What will happen to my complaint?
Your complaint will be reviewed by a member of the University’s legal team. It will then be forwarded to the appropriate team for investigation.
Can I raise a complaint anonymously?
If you would prefer to raise your complaint anonymously then you are welcome to do so. However, please note that this may make it more difficult for us to effectively investigate your complaint.
If you provide your name but ask that it is not disclosed, we will endeavour to accommodate this when it is possible to do so. However, it may be necessary for us to release your name for the purposes of carrying out a fair investigation. Further, your name may have to be released in the event that your complaint triggers a criminal investigation or any litigation involving the university. We cannot therefore provide ongoing guarantees of anonymity.
If you are concerned about potential reprisals as a result of having raised this complaint, we would like to reassure you that we would treat any such reprisals by a member of staff or a student as a serious disciplinary offence. We would deal with such actions under the appropriate policy.
Will I be informed of the outcome?
If you have provided contact details then we will keep you updated regarding the progress of our investigation and likely timescales. We will provide you with as much information regarding the outcome of your complaint as possible. However, please note that we may be limited in what we can tell you due to data protection law and our duties of confidentiality.
What if I am not happy with the outcome?
If you are not happy with the outcome of a whistleblowing complaint, then you may raise the issue with the University Secretary. If your complaint relates to the University Secretary, then you should raise it directly with the Vice-Chancellor.
The University Secretary (or Vice-Chancellor as appropriate) will review your complaint in order to determine: a) whether it was investigated by the appropriate team; and b) whether you were updated appropriately on the progress of your complaint; and c) whether the outcome was properly communicated to you.
As set out above, you should be aware that any outcome you receive may be limited by our duties of confidentiality as well as by data protection law. Further, your complaint may result in the University launching another procedure (such as its disciplinary procedure), and we may not be able to make you aware of the outcome of any such procedure. It is not possible to use the whistleblowing process to appeal the outcome of these procedures.
Submit your whistleblowing complaint
Use the relevant form below to submit your whistleblowing complaint.
