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Freedom to Speak Up

 

At SDHC, we are committed to fostering a workplace culture where all staff feel valued, respected, and empowered to speak up. There are over 800 Freedom to Speak Up Guardians across the NHS. Their role is to protect safety and the quality of care, improve the experience of workers and promote learning and improvement by ensuring that:

  • Workers are supported in Speaking Up
  • Barriers to Speaking Up are addressed
  • A positive culture of Speaking Up is fostered.
  • Issues raised are used as opportunities for learning and improvement

What can I speak up about?

  • An offence under, or breach of, any statutory instrument or legal obligation
  • Fraud, financial irregularity, dishonesty
  • Malpractice, corruption, bribery
  • Unethical conduct
  • Medical or prescribing errors
  • Breach of confidentiality
  • Miscarriage of justice
  • Danger to the health or safety of any individual or the environment
  • The deliberate concealing of information about any such matter

Workers should speak up about anything that affects patient care or their working life. This may be something which does not feel right, e.g., a way of working or a process that is not being followed, when the worker feels they are being discriminated against or if they feel the behaviour of others is affecting their wellbeing or that of their colleagues or patients.


How can I speak up?

There are several ways you can speak up:

  • Openly

They are happy that the person they will speak up to will know their identity and that they can share this with anyone else involved in responding

  • Confidentially

They are happy to reveal their identity to the person they choose to speak up to on the condition that they will not share this without their consent

  • Anonymously

They do not want to reveal their identity to anyone. This can make it difficult for others to ask for further information about the matter and may make it more complicated to act to resolve the issue. It also means that the worker might not be able to access any extra support they may need or receive any feedback on the outcome

In all circumstances, workers should be ready to explain as fully as they can the information and circumstances that prompted them to speak up.


Who can contact the Freedom to Speak Up Guardian?

All SDHC staff members—including those in locum/ casual roles—are encouraged to contact our Freedom to Speak Up Guardian(s). If you are not employed by SDHC, we recommend reaching out to the Surrey and Sussex ICB.

Our Freedom to Speak Up Guardian(s) at SDHC

  • Chloe Bolingbroke
  • Courtney Weir

Contact Information:

    • Helpline (01323402476 extension 501): Open Monday-Friday, 08:00am-16:00pm.
    • Email (Sdhc.ftsu@nhs.net): FTSUG inbox monitored during helpline hours. Emails received outside these hours will be addressed the next working day.

Our External Freedom to Speak Up Guardian at Alliance for Better Care (ABC)

  • Lauren Howes (Days of work: Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm)

Contact Information: