Freedom to Speak up

Raising and Escalating concerns to keep our patients safe

At UHMBT we want our colleagues to feel safe to raise concerns about patient safety and colleague well-being which is why we prioritise speaking up as business as usual.

Freedom to Speak Up has come about as a direct result of the lessons learnt from the 2013 Francis Report on the Mid Staffs Scandal public inquiry.

Robert Francis published his Freedom to Speak Up review on 11th February 2015, and found that historically where staff had tried to speak up in the NHS, their concerns were often not welcomed and, in the worst cases, the staff were treated very badly.

This endangers patients as we need to empower colleagues to be able to raise concerns, particularly where vulnerable patients are concerned.

UHMBT launched its FTSU campaign shortly after the publication of the FTSU review. We were one of the first Trusts in the country to appoint a Freedom to Speak Up Guardian; Heather Bruce started in post in July 2015 and the role has evolved since then with Wesley Blondel joining Heather in August 2020, and Kara Mallonga joining in 2023 so that we now have three Freedom to Speak up Guardians.

Heather, Wesley and Kara are members of the Northwest FTSU network, and they are involved in supporting other Trusts through sharing learning and experience from UHMBT.

The FTSU campaign, making Raising Concerns business as usual, does not succeed in isolation, and is intrinsically linked to the culture of the organisation.

The Trust values and beliefs underpin this culture so that everyone who works in UHMBT feels confident and supported to raise and report concerns for the benefit of all.

The values and beliefs have empowered staff to uphold the highest standards of behaviours and to challenge any that fall outside of the framework. This cultural support underpins the Freedom to Speak up campaign.

If any staff, volunteers, trainees, students or governors have any concerns regarding patient or staff health and safety, professional or ethical misconduct, bullying, or any other matters that do not reflect what we expect as part of our vision and values, the Freedom to Speak Up Guardians are here to offer advice and support. Their role is to provide guidance and advice on how those working in our services may raise and escalate concerns, including outside of usual line management structures.

If you want to discuss a concern with the Freedom to Speak Up Guardians, do not hesitate to get in touch and a meeting can be arranged at a mutually agreed time and place on or off Trust premises. All concerns are treated confidentially.

To raise a concern through FTSU or to get advice you can email the team inbox on freedomtospeakup@mbht.nhs.uk.