Freedom to Speak Up Guardian

Job description

Job responsibilities

Culture and awareness raising

Develop and deliver communication and engagement activity to increase awareness and accessibility of the Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) Guardian role.

Promote speaking up processes and sources of support, demonstrating and celebrating their impact.

Ensure staff are aware of, and can access, appropriate support to raise concerns.

Develop, train and support a network of FTSU Champions across the organisation.

Ensure FTSU information is embedded within Trust induction arrangements.

Seek advice from, and escalate matters to, external bodies where appropriate.

Challenge behaviours and practices that do not align with FTSU principles or Trust values.

Analysis and process improvement

Work in partnership with the People Services Team, the clinical governance team and other stakeholders to integrate intelligence from speaking up cases with other patient safety, quality and staff experience data to support organisational learning.

Develop and use measures to identify and report on trends and links between FTSU concerns and other safety and quality intelligence.

Work in partnership with the People Services Team and other stakeholders to ensure speaking up processes are clear, accessible and effective.

Review the effectiveness of FTSU processes and case handling, intervening where they are not working effectively and recommending improvements.

Ensure relevant policies and procedures are maintained, meet required standards and are regularly reviewed.

Undertake research to remain up to date with national guidance and best practice relating to FTSU.

Supporting staff

Advise staff on routes they can take to raise concerns, and guide them through the process if necessary.

Ensure individuals receive timely and appropriate feedback on investigations and outcomes.

Provide enhanced support to individuals who experience difficulty speaking up, or feel unable to raise their concerns.

Take action to ensure FTSU arrangements are accessible to groups who may face barriers to speaking up.

Ensure all information is managed in line with confidentiality and data protection requirements.

Assurance reporting and escalation

Establish and maintain effective working relationships with Directors and the Chief Executive, with direct access as required.

Attend a variety of Trust meetings / groups to promote speaking up and report on FTSU activity, trends and themes (as appropriate).

Take prompt and appropriate action where concerns indicate potential risks to safety or quality.

Produce and present assurance reports to the Board on the operation of the FTSU service, trends, themes, and potential barriers to speaking up.

Support the Trusts reporting to the National Guardians Office (or equivalent).

Advise and influence senior leaders to take appropriate action to strengthen the FTSU culture.

Ensure senior leaders are actively engaged in promoting and embedding FTSU principles.

Collaborative working and escalation regional and national

Participate in National Guardians Office (or equivalent) and NHS England training, networks and events, contributing to shared learning and best practice.

Escalate unresolved concerns to the national FTSU Guardian (or equivalent) where there are concerns that the Trust may be failing to meet its obligations.

Management of self and others

Work independently, impartially and objectively while collaborating effectively across the organisation.

Maintain professional competence through continuous development and awareness of best practice.

Plan and manage own workload and the activity of FTSU Champions to deliver an effective service.

Review own performance and take action to address development needs.

Undertake additional duties appropriate to the role as required.

Professionalism

Act with integrity and model behaviours that encourage speaking up.

Raise and address concerns in line with FTSU principles.

Comply with Trust policies, procedures, values and behaviours.

Maintain professional boundaries at all times.

Wellbeing and emotional resilience

Demonstrate resilience and a constructive approach to challenge and change.

Recognise personal limitations and access support when required.

Remain organised and effective when working under pressure.

Access external FTSU mentoring support as arranged by the Trust.

Person Specification

Qualifications/Training

Essential

• Commitment to completion of the Freedom to Speak Up Foundation Training and ongoing professional development as required by the National Guardian's Office.

Desirable

• Completion of Freedom to Speak Up Foundation Training

Education

Essential

• Experience of partnership building and effective relationship management.
• Experience of training and developing capability across the workforce.
• Experience of working with, and presenting to, senior leaders.

Desirable

• Experience of the Freedom to Speak Up agenda as a Guardian or equivalent

Skills and Competencies

Essential

• Confident, empathic communicator able to engage effectively with staff at all levels.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to drive continuous improvement.
• Effective time management and prioritisation skills.
• Highly developed analytical skills, able to produce and present complex reports.
• Ability to design and deliver effective training strategies.
• Able to remain impartial and objective while handling sensitive issues.
• Competent in managing databases to track and report cases.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office

Knowledge

Essential

• Knowledge and understanding of Freedom to Speak Up matters.
• Awareness of barriers to effective communication and strategies to address them.
• Knowledge of local and national policies on whistleblowing and staff support.

Personal Qualities & Trust Values

Essential

• To exemplify the Trust Values: Professional - apply high professional standards to your role Excellence - ensure the care we deliver has great outcomes for patients Respect - for patients and each other Friendly - patients, colleagues, public are always put at ease and made welcome Inclusive - we have a safe and respectful environment Caring - put the patient first and be considerate of their needs
• Flexible, positive approach to competing demands.
• Highly motivated, reliable and resilient.
• Able to work effectively in a demanding environment.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details

Employer name

Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Address

RJAH Hospital,

Oswestry

SY10 7AG

Employer's website

https://www.rjah.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)