Freedom To Speak Up
Freedom to Speak Up Review
Following the Mid-Staffordshire inquiry and the Freedom to Speak Up review, Sir Robert Francis QC stated “Poor standards of care can proliferate unless both patients and staff are listened to by the leaders of our health services and their concerns welcomed and acted upon. Speaking up should be the norm, not a dangerous exception to a general practice of keeping one’s head down. Every healthcare leader from ward to board level has to promote a culture where speaking up about legitimate concerns can occur without fear of harassment, bullying or discrimination”. (Full review and executive summary available on http://freedomtospeakup.org.uk/the-report ).
One of the recommendations by Sir Robert Francis was the implementation of the Freedom to Speak up Guardians across the NHS Trusts. 
NELFT has a full-time Freedom to Speak up Guardian Kate Pollock (pictured) and Freedom to Speak up Champions who work hard to create a trust-wide environment where speaking up is business as usual for all NELFT staff. They operate independently, impartially and objectively, whilst working in partnership with individuals and groups throughout the organisation, including the senior leadership team. Guardians and champions support the organisation to be open, responsive and compassionate to staff members when they speak up. They also seek guidance and support from and, where appropriate, escalate matters to bodies outside their organisation.
More information on what concerns you can raise, how to raise concerns and respond to them, a list of internal and external contacts and tips on raising concerns can be found on the NELFT intranet.