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Freedom to Speak Up

Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) is about encouraging a positive culture where people feel they can speak up and their voices will be heard, and their suggestions acted upon.

Speaking up is about anything that gets in the way of providing good care.

FTSU is for all Norfolk and Suffolk ICB and primary care workers. This encompasses any healthcare professionals, non-clinical workers, administrative workers, directors, managers, contractors, volunteers, students, trainees, locum, bank and agency workers and former workers.

When things go wrong, it is important to learn lessons and make improvements. If you think something might go wrong, you must feel able to speak up to prevent potential harm. Even when things are good but could be better, you should feel able to say something.

You can speak up about anything that gets in the way of patient care or affects your working life. This could be something which doesn’t feel right to you, for example, a way of working or a process that isn’t being followed, you feel you are being discriminated against, or you feel the behaviours of others are affecting your wellbeing or that of your colleagues or patients.

Speaking up, therefore, captures a range of issues, some of which may be appropriate for other existing processes, for example, HR or patient safety or quality.

What Guardians can and cannot do

Do

  • Listen to each voice in confidence and without judgement
  • Advocate for those raising concerns
  • Offer support and help you to escalate matters raised
  • Offer to escalate a matter in confidence if you prefer
  • Support staff in deciding upon their choice of resolution
  • Have access to senior managers/partners across the ICB and primary care practices in order to help resolve concerns rapidly where possible
  • Hold meetings with you in person, virtually or by telephone
  • Ensure that barriers to speaking up are addressed
  • Support a positive culture of speaking up
  • Ensure that lessons are learnt and things are improved when staff do speak up

Do not

  • Provide legal advice
  • Provide counselling or mediation
  • Tell you what to do in pursuing your concerns – but can offer advice
  • Undertake investigations on your behalf
  • Advocate for you where you are already involved in a formal process within your organisation
  • Solve relationship problems in teams or between members of staff
  • Deal with concerns raised by service users or other members of the public

Meet the Guardians

Our team of FTSU Guardians are all are trained and registered. They are not employees of the ICB and are therefore able to offer truly independent support. Between them they have many years experience across different health and care sectors.

Contact the Guardians

Our Freedom to Speak Up Guardians are here to help whenever you need them.

Contact them in confidence by sending an email to: [email protected]

Together, we aim to ensure that Speaking Up is ‘Business as Usual’ across the Norfolk and Suffolk ICS.