You may remember the Francis report of 2015, which recommended that the NHS should encourage the freedom to speak up (FTSU) more, to prevent harm to both patients and staff. As part of those recommendations, the National Guardian’s Office and the role of the Freedom to Speak Up Guardian were created.

The National Guardian’s Office leads, trains and supports a network of Freedom to Speak Up Guardians in England and there are now 1,200 of them.

Want to find your Freedom to Speak Up Guardian? Just follow this link.

This October, primary care leaders are encouraged to raise awareness of FTSU and ensure colleagues have access to trained and registered FTSU guardians.

Helpful Resources

Campaign resources and FTSU training is available on the National Guardian’s website to support this. These include posters, printable pledges, templates and PowerPoint slides, plus articles and even word searches.

Everyone is encouraged to share their thoughts and experiences using the hashtag #HereToListen.
You could also watch a lunch & learn session that happened recently about how to prepare for Speak Up Month

Read about the FTSU models Used in Primary Care

A new report has been published exploring the different FTSU models adopted in primary care settings.
It identifies two models to support primary care organisations in developing their speaking up arrangements, bridging across the silos of GP, dental, optometry and pharmacy.

1. Freedom to Speak Up within an organisation – an individual organisation model – such as a GP practice or Dental surgery; or a Clinical Commissioning Group
2. Freedom to Speak Up within a network or defined structure – a partnership model – for example

Primary Care Network or alliance between opticians; a local support model – eg practices supported by their local committee, CCG or NHS Trust; or an Integrated Care System Model.

Following the publication of this report, the National Guardian’s Office will work in partnership with NHS England/Improvement and the Care Quality Commission to use this learning to describe these universal principles to support healthy speaking up cultures and encourage engagement across health.

Thornfields Courses and Support

To make sure you and your staff are fully in the know about the benefits of speaking up and how to do it safely, Thornfields run courses for organisations on Whistleblowing & the Freedom to Speak Up Guardian.

There are also courses on related topics including Promoting Quality and Handling Complaints, and Handling Difficult Conversations.