Freedom to Speak Up

Speaking up is about anything that gets in the way of providing good care, which is safe and respectful.

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. We will listen to your suggestion and use it as an opportunity for improvement.

You can speak up about anything that gets in the way of safe and high-quality care. You can also speak up about anything that affects your experience in the workplace.

• A quick discussion with a line manager
• A suggestion for improvement
• Raising an issue with the Freedom to Speak Up Guardian
• Bringing a matter to the attention of a regulator

Some people may interpret any of these actions as ‘making a protected disclosure’.

Others may only see making a protected disclosure as:

• something that is ‘formal’
• a matter that involves an outside an organisation
• something that may qualify for ‘protection’ under the Public Interest Disclosure Act

Speaking up is all these things and by raising concerns early, we will make sure that we provide a service which is caring and safe for our patients, their relatives and carers, in an environment that is respectful for everyone.