Freedom to Speak Up (September update)

"I have been one of the Non-Executive Directors on the Trust Board for several years. I am also the Vice Chair and Senior Independent Director for the Trust. I am totally supportive of the Freedom to Speak Up Programme because I believe it is essential that all colleagues have an alternative route to have their views and issues heard other than through the standard line management route.

As the Senior Independent Director, I have seen good examples of the FTSU process bringing real improvement change to the way the Trust operates and I encourage all employees to trust the process and engage with the Guardians when you cannot get traction through normal routes." Gerry OKeeffe

Did you know that during April – June 2021 66 staff raised concerns via FTSU Guardians?

• Most cases had an element of patient safety/quality, followed by staff behaviours that had caused concern.

Common themes during this quarter -:

• Staff not being kept informed of progress of formal processes being put in place
• Bank staff hours being cancelled at short notice or staff moved to areas that they are unfamiliar with without prior discussion
• Staff and managers having very different perceptions of meetings that were attended
• Emotional experience of staff not always recognised by managers.

Learning points

• Need to have clear and documented outcomes of meetings
• Managers need to feel confident and competent at being able to inquire re the emotional impact on staff of their experiences – The new training from the National Guardians Office which will be made available across the Trust shortly is likely to support this.