Freedom to Speak Up Guardian

Welcome to the Freedom to Speak Up Guardian Service provided by Howbeck Healthcare for primary care.

As a result of the Francis Review the role of Freedom to Speak Up Guardian was introduced across all NHS organisations in 2015.  This was extended to primary care in September 2017.  You can download the full NHS England guidance.

It is a requirement that the appointed Freedom to Speak Up Guardian is independent of the practice and therefore we have a specialist team in place to lead and manage this service for you.  We will support you in ensuring that you have the appropriate policies and processes in place to ensure you are compliant with the NHS England and CQC compliance requirements for Freedom to Speak Up.

This will provide a platform to build on the work of “Being Open” by adopting the good practice published in Freedom to Speak Up to ensure staff are fully supported to ensure that:

• It is safe to speak up
• Staff have the confidence to speak up
• Concerns are investigated
• Speaking up makes a difference
• Concerns are well received

This scheme will support you to demonstrate that:

• There is a clear positive procedure in place
• There is support and advice which can be easily accessed to help staff
• Concerns are taken seriously and clear records are kept
• Staff are aware of what will happen having raised a concern and will be kept informed

This service can be purchased on an annual basis and is costed on a tiered approach based on number of employees.  If you would like to know more about this service please visit our FTSU website or contact us.