Freedom to Speak Up

Helping to protect patient safety and improve quality of care and the lives of NHS workers

At County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, we want our staff to feel confident and supported to speak up and raise concerns when something isn’t right. This includes people who are no longer employed by the trust, but have been within the last five years.

It’s more than a process for raising concerns; it’s about cultivating a culture of transparency and an open, learning and respectful environment for all. This ensures patients are protected, patient care can be improved and that the trust is a great place to work, study or volunteer.

Staff can raise concerns about risk, malpractice or wrongdoing or anything that may be harming the service we deliver, including:

• Unsafe patient care
• Unsafe working conditions
• Inadequate induction or staff training
• Lack of, or poor response to, a reported patient safety incident
• Suspicions of fraud
• A bullying culture

How do I speak up?

In the first instance, we encourage colleagues to raise concerns with their line manager or team leader.

If you are unsure or do not feel comfortable raising the issue locally, or if you have already done so and feel your concerns have not been addressed, you can contact one of our Freedom to Speak Up Guardians or team of Speak Up Champions. They will listen, provide support and guidance, and help ensure your concerns are raised through the most appropriate channels. Our Guardians and Champions:

• Act as an independent and impartial source of advice to staff
• Support staff to speak up when they feel unable to do so via other routes
• Ensure the person speaking up is thanked and that an appropriate person investigates the issues raised and provides feedback on the action taken
• Tackle barriers to speaking up

Concerns can be raised:

Speaking up helps us learn, improve and provide the best possible care for our patients and support for our staff.