Job summary
The Trust is seeking to appoint a new Freedom Speak up Guardian (FTSU) to support the continued development of a speak up culture to ensure patient and staff safety and to assist in responding to the key CQC findings. This service will support the Trust's approach to ensuring that staff feel safe and supported in raising concerns and issues.
The Freedom to Speak Up Guardian will act as a, trusted and confidential resource for trust colleagues to raise any concerns relating to wrongdoing; to encourage embedding of best practice in enabling and supporting trust staff to raise concerns where they see evidence of risk, wrongdoing and/or unsafe practice. Where concerns are raised, the FTSUG will work closely with colleagues at all levels across the Trust to ensure concerns are dealt with fairly, sensitively and confidentially. The FTSUG will also be responsible for enhancing awareness of speaking up in the Trust and supporting our Freedom to Speak Up Champions and further developing this network across the Clinical Boards.
- Interview Date Thursday 14 March 2024
- 22 Hours 30 Minutes/Week
- The role will be for a 3 year period at which point it will be reviewed
- The postholder will be seconded on their existing terms and conditions. This will exclude any enhanced payments as the role will be undertaken in core hours. However, this role will attract a Band 6 as a minimum.
Main duties of the job
This is an exciting development opportunity for someone from either a clinical or non-clinical background to be a visible point of contact across the Trust with a role in promoting and championing open and transparent culture. This role will be collaborating with leads across the region and nationally to shared best practice, learning and promote a culture of speaking up across the NHS.
The postholder will also be a member of the People Programme Board which has been established to ensure the development of a new People Strategy and Plan based around staff feedback, including that identified in the CQC report.
About us
As the FTSUG, you will receive formal training and support from the National Guardian's Office and will be mentored and supported by the previous FTSUG in undertaking the role, be a part of a FTSUG community of practice across the region, as well as be our Trust representative on national and regional networks.
Working across the Trust, you will also:
- be a point of contact for individuals or groups who require advice on raising concerns, supporting them to consider available options and signposting them to sources of support as appropriate.
- oversee tracking concerns to completion.
- will lead and continue to develop our group of FTSU Champions.
- represent the Trust in regional and national networks, and forums to develop and promote best practice in speaking up.
- Assist in the delivery of the FTSU Trust strategy objectives.
- Maintaining a confidential database of concerns raised and using this information to share intelligence across the Trust.
- Work with all Clinical Boards to embed speaking up culture and proactive management of concerns.
- provide regular reports to the Trust Board (via the People Committee) and collaborate closely with senior leaders and a wide range of teams across the Trust to ensure that staff are supported to speak up and barriers to speaking up are identified and addressed.
- Proactively promote speaking up and raising awareness of the FTSU service by attending and presenting at a range of staff forums.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Freedom to Speak Up Guardians help:Protect patient safety and the quality of care Improve the experience of workers Promote learning and improvement
By ensuring that: Workers are supported in speaking up Barriers to speaking up are addressed A positive culture of speaking up is fostered Issues raised are used as opportunities for learning and improvement
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.
Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate.The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first months pay.
You will be redirected to Trac to apply for the vacancy. Please expand the job details section and read all of the information before applying for the vacancy.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Freedom to Speak Up Guardians help:Protect patient safety and the quality of care Improve the experience of workers Promote learning and improvement
By ensuring that: Workers are supported in speaking up Barriers to speaking up are addressed A positive culture of speaking up is fostered Issues raised are used as opportunities for learning and improvement
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.
Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate.The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first months pay.
You will be redirected to Trac to apply for the vacancy. Please expand the job details section and read all of the information before applying for the vacancy.
Person Specification
Qualifications & Education
Essential
- Educated to degree level or equivalent qualification and/or experience of working in a similar role in terms of complexity and variety and level of stakeholders
- Significant experience/ strong track record of applying knowledge and skills in a similar role to post graduate diploma level or equivalent
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Good knowledge of Freedom to Speak up National Guidance, the speaking up agenda and systems and ability to apply this knowledge effectively
- Experience of facilitating the highlighting and management of concerns in a confidential and appropriate way, ensuring they are addressed, and actions are undertaken
- Experience of maintaining confidentiality and dealing with highly sensitive information and emotive situations
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to demonstrate empathy, gain people's trust and ensure people feel heard whilst also appropriately managing concerns raised.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills with the confidence to communicate with a diverse range of stakeholders and present to large groups
- Ability to manage complex issues and escalate appropriately to ensure necessary actions are taken
- Ability to build effective, collaborative relationships with key stakeholders across the trust and work with them effectively (e.g. colleagues in Workforce, Education and Development
- Ability to work independently
- Highly organised with the ability to prioritise workload effectively and highly responsive
Desirable
- Ability to analyse, interpret and compare data
Person Specification
Qualifications & Education
Essential
- Educated to degree level or equivalent qualification and/or experience of working in a similar role in terms of complexity and variety and level of stakeholders
- Significant experience/ strong track record of applying knowledge and skills in a similar role to post graduate diploma level or equivalent
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Good knowledge of Freedom to Speak up National Guidance, the speaking up agenda and systems and ability to apply this knowledge effectively
- Experience of facilitating the highlighting and management of concerns in a confidential and appropriate way, ensuring they are addressed, and actions are undertaken
- Experience of maintaining confidentiality and dealing with highly sensitive information and emotive situations
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to demonstrate empathy, gain people's trust and ensure people feel heard whilst also appropriately managing concerns raised.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills with the confidence to communicate with a diverse range of stakeholders and present to large groups
- Ability to manage complex issues and escalate appropriately to ensure necessary actions are taken
- Ability to build effective, collaborative relationships with key stakeholders across the trust and work with them effectively (e.g. colleagues in Workforce, Education and Development
- Ability to work independently
- Highly organised with the ability to prioritise workload effectively and highly responsive
Desirable
- Ability to analyse, interpret and compare data
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.
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).
Additional information
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.
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).
