Freedom to Speak Up

Speaking up about any concern members of staff have at work is really important. It helps us to keep improving our services for all patients and the working environment for our staff. Staff may feel worried about speaking up, and we understand this. Please don’t be put off. The NHS aspires to be the safest health system in the world and achieving that ambition requires us to listen to our staff. Our senior leaders and Governing Body are committed to an open and transparent culture and encourage staff to speak up. We will look into what you say and you will always have access to the support you need. This includes individual support, keeping you informed throughout the process and at the conclusion to provide feedback.

Freedom to Speak Up Policy

The Freefrom to Speak Up policy is written to support staff in raising concerns. The policy sets out our commitment to an open and honest culture in which staff feel safe and supported to raise concerns. It gives guidance and advice on raising a concern.

Freedom to Speak Up Guardian

The Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) Guardians acts as an independent and impartial source of advice to staff at any stage of raising a concern. The role is to ensure that a culture of speaking up is instilled throughout the organisation and effective processes are in place to support staff.

As a nationally defined role, the FTSU Guardians focuses on the key area of supporting individuals to raise concerns that are in the interest of patients or the public.

The FTSU Guardians for NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB are Diane Mellor, Shabana Mahmood, devon McAuley, Terri Foster and Kevin Rhodes. You can also contact the FTSU Guardians using the confidential inbox FTSUconfidential@staffsstokeccgs.nhs.uk.

The Executive lead for Freedom to Speak Up is Mish Irvine, Chief of Staff.

The Board lead for Freedom to Speak Up is Cheryl Etches, Non-Executive Director.