Freedom to Speak Up Guardians

• A quick guide to FTSU timescales/flowchart
• HR06a: Freedom to Speak Up Strategy
• HR06b: Raising Concerns (Freedom to Speak Up) Policy
• Raising Concerns Video
• Just and Learning and Civility and Respect
• Background to FTSU - The Speak Up report
• National Guardians Office

Although there is currently no legal definition, 'whistleblowing' has come to be accepted as the disclosure by an employee of confidential information which relates to some danger, fraud or other illegal or unethical conduct connected with the workplace, be it of the employer or of their fellow employees. With speaking up, staff can speak up about anything that gets in the way of high-quality effective care, or that affects their working life.

There are many channels for speaking up in Mersey Care, about anything that gets in the way of delivering safe and high-quality care or affects your experience in the workplace. Speaking up is something that should happen as ‘business as usual’.

Speaking up may take many forms including a quick discussion with a line manager, a suggestion for improvement submitted as part of a staff suggestion scheme, raising an issue with a Freedom to Speak Up guardian, or bringing a matter to the attention of a regulator.

Some people may interpret all or some of these actions as ‘whistleblowing’, others may only associate ‘whistleblowing’ with something that is ‘formal’, or a matter that is escalated outside an organisation, or to describe something that may qualify for ‘protection’ under the Public Interest Disclosure Act. Speaking up is about all of these things.

February 2024

January 2024

December 2023

When you raise an issue with a Freedom To Speak Up (FTSU) guardian, it may be that you’re not clear how best to pursue it, or even whether you’ve come to the right place, so we’ll take some time to clarify your issue with you and then help you decide.

For example, it may be that you then want to speak to your manager, a colleague, trade union representative or HR yourself, or you may want support from FTSU for the issue to be raised. You can raise issues with us in confidence if you’d like or even anonymously, although that may make it more difficult if we need more information or need to feed back to you. Mersey Care also wants to support and protect you If you raise an issue, to make sure that you don’t suffer detriment for speaking up.

The FTSU guardians aim to amicably resolve issues at the lowest practical level, and this happens in most cases. In some cases though, where appropriate, FTSU may commission a review to look at bigger problems and solutions.

Each FTSU guardian also raises the live issues within their areas regularly (within the bounds of confidentiality) with senior managers and senior FTSU guardian links for that area, particularly where an issue is proving difficult or slow to resolve.

Although FTSU guardians cover each other when required, we have our own 'patch' too so that we can see developing issues or themes and can then liaise with the relevant people.

Where issues get stuck, FTSU has an agreed escalation route right up to the nominated non-executive director for FTSU, to ensure the appropriate level of support.

Speaking up policies and processes are there to support staff. This includes any healthcare professionals, non-clinical staff, senior, middle and junior managers, volunteers, students, bank and agency staff, and former employees. There are other routes for patients and their families to raise matters of concern or to make suggestions for improvement, including Patient Advice and Liaison Services (PALS). 

Other useful Numbers

Occupational Health and Staff Support 01925 664 010 or OHWB@merseycare.nhs.uk For staff health related queries and concerns

Staff Side contacts https://yourspace.merseycare.nhs.uk/corporate/staff-side