Job responsibilities
The main duties and responsibilities for the post of FTSU Guardian relate to the following key areas:
Culture
Develop and deliver communication and engagement interventions aimed at increasing the understanding and visibility of Freedom To Speak Up Guardians and Local FTSU Champions amongst the organisations workforce.
Promote local speaking up processes and sources of support and guidance, demonstrate the impact that speaking up is having in the organisation, and appropriately celebrate speaking up.
Ensure that staff are aware of, and have access to, support to help them speak up and through the Champions, ensure that Freedom to Speak Up awareness reaches all parts of the organisation, and everyone has easy access to someone outside their immediate line-management chain who can advise and support them.
Take action to ensure that groups that may face particular barriers to speaking up have the knowledge and support they need.
Ensure that staff with disabilities and people from minority ethnic backgrounds are encouraged to speak up and are not disadvantaged by doing so.
Lead the organisations education and development programme for all staff, so that they understand how they can raise concerns and for managers about how they respond to concerns and supporting the member of staff appropriately.
Work with the Trusts Patient Safety Specialists and the People and OD team to ensure a Just Culture is embedded and built into the Trusts Human Resources including: People processes, language, training, policies, to empower staff to speak up and identify risks to safety without fear of punitive response which will facilitate better outcomes for patients.
Process improvement
In partnership with relevant POD & Patient Safety colleagues, review and advise upon colleague opinion and feedback from the Trust wider engagement activities including; Annual Staff Survey Pulse Surveys, Patient Safety Incident Response Framework, Staff & Patient Forums, etc.
Leads and collaborates with significant stakeholders, including POD, the Communications Team, Patient Safety and others, to ensure that speaking up guidance and processes are clear and accessible, reflect best practice and address any local issues that may hinder the speaking up process.
Assess the effectiveness of speaking up processes and the handling of individual cases, intervening when these are failing people who speak up, and making robust recommendations for improvement. The Guardian will lead and engage any FTSU reviews within the organisation.
Complete the national FTSU reflection and planning tool on an at least two-yearly cycle to assess current performance and improvements.
Capability
Assess the knowledge and capability of staff to both speak up and support people when they speak up.
Ensure that all staff have the relevant skills and knowledge to enable them to speak up effectively, and those supporting, managing or investigating speaking up issues have the capability and knowledge to do this effectively.
Ensure that appropriate items relating to speaking up are incorporated into induction programmes for all staff. Ensure that groups of staff and individuals who may find it difficult to speak up are identified and given particular support.
Supporting Staff
Ensure that information and data are handled appropriately, and personal and confidential data are protected. This will involve using technology for recording, analysing and reporting of issues raised, developing and presenting training materials to groups of staff and managers, and for developing marketing materials and feedback surveys.
Ensure that individuals receive appropriate feedback on how issues about which they speak up are investigated, and the conclusion of any investigation. Where necessary, provide additional support to people and groups who are experiencing difficulty with speaking up, or those who are experiencing difficulty in handling or supporting someone who is speaking up.
Prepare regular communications to staff, sharing non-confidential information and lessons learnt from concerns.
Provide direct support and guidance in the development of appointed FTSU Champions.
Working with the Board
Develop effective and open working relationships with the Chair, Chief Executive, and other Executive and Non-Executive Directors.
Meet regularly, at least quarterly, with the Director of People & OD to feedback themes from the concerns raised and to share positive and negative experiences and outcomes.
As agreed with the Chair, regularly attend meetings of the Board to report on Freedom to Speak Up activities (reports will include assessment of issues about which people are speaking up, trends, and barriers - particular attention will be given to concerns which may suggest a link to patient safety and quality).
Acting as a critical friend to Board members, support the Board in ensuring it takes appropriate action to create a Freedom to Speak Up culture, assess trends, and actively responds to issues that are being raised.
Report to POD committee and relevant programme boards on FTSU themes from cases raised and identified barriers to speaking up.
Analysing FTSU information to identify & inform organisational learning and development which will contribute to patient safety, patient experience and quality improvement initiatives.
Safety and Quality
Take immediate appropriate action when matters about which people are speaking up indicate that safety and quality maybe compromised.
Develop measures, data sets, and indicators to monitor trends and identify linkages between issues raised through people speaking up, and issues raised through other safety and quality route.
Take responsibility to ensure that escalation to external bodies, outside of the organisation are appropriately used when required.
Wider NHS Culture
Participate in National Guardian Office activities and training, actively supporting fellow FTSU Guardians, developing personal networks and peer relationships, contributing to wider networking events, and sharing and learning from best practice.
Where required, seek advice and guidance from the National Guardians Office.
Keep abreast of developments and best practice, and assess own and FTSU Champions development and training needs in addressing these.
Guidance issued by the National Guardians Office should be followed, and feedback on its effectiveness and impact provided, and information provided to the NGO as required.
Management and Leadership Responsibilities
o Provide leadership for the Trust around the Speaking Up agenda. The Guardian will have an understanding of the national perspective and future strategy for the role in the NHS and related areas of health to ensure that the organisation is fully aware of the implications and can contribute effectively.
o Develop and implement relevant policies and guidance across the organisation, taking into account the national perspective.
o Develop and empower colleagues to perform to high standards and innovate.
o Informally manage the Freedom to Speak Up Champions.
o Develop FTSU Guardians and Champions knowledge and skills to promote equality and diversity and address inequalities in both employment and service delivery. Ensure specific equality objective are included in PDRs.
o Develop a culture that promotes Speaking Up as business as usual and that staffs perception about their working lives are measured and improvements made
