Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust

Freedom to Speak Up Guardian

The closing date is 08 February 2026

Job summary

Freedom to Speak Up Guardian

Are you passionate about fostering an open and transparent workplace culture? If so, this could be the role for you.

Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust and Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust are coming together to form a single organisation in April 2026 and we are seeking a dedicated Freedom to Speak Up Guardian to join our team. In this role, you will act as an impartial and independent advocate for our staff, ensuring that voices are heard and concerns are addressed.

The Freedom to Speak Up Guardian acts impartially to ensure that we provide a safe and inclusive environment for employees and others to speak up, and that we support those who raise concerns, investigate concerns effectively and act on their findings.

Main duties of the job

Key Responsibilities include:

  • Advocacy: Serve as a visible and approachable advocate for staff, encouraging them to speak up about any concerns related to patient safety, quality of care, or workplace culture.
  • Support:Provide confidential advice and support to staff who raise concerns, ensuring they feel valued and protected.
  • Collaboration: Work closely with senior leaders to promote a culture of openness and transparency, and to address any barriers to speaking up.
  • Training:Develop and deliver training programmes to educate staff on the importance of speaking up and the processes involved.
  • Analysis: Collect and analyse data related to concerns raised and provide regular reports to our senior leaders

Please see the attached job description and person specification for further detail on the role.

The role is available on a part-time basis, 22.5 hours per week, and it can be undertaken either alongside another role or as a standalone role.

Please note that interviews are planned for 26 February 2026.

About us

Find out more about working for our organisation here:

https://heyzine.com/flip-book/2565ae62eb.html

Please note, the selection processes at Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust are in place to ensure we recruit candidates with the right values and skills, please be advised that the use of AI in applications are monitored. We remain watchful of candidates who misuse these tools to generate an application that doesn't accurately reflect their skills.

With effect from the 1st April 2026 Norfolk Community Health & Care NHS Trust will be merging with Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust to form a new organisation. The new Trust will provide a wide range of community health and social care services to over 4 million people, with a budget of circa £380 million and a workforce of over 7,000 people.

Details

Date posted

23 January 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,810 to £54,710 a year pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

839-7758874-RB

Job locations

Flexible, across trust sites

Flexible, across trust sites

NR2 3TU


Job description

Job responsibilities

Communication & Engagement

1. Responsible for the development and delivery of communication and engagement programmes across both trusts.

2.Responsible for sensitive and supportive engagement with individuals, particularly those who find it difficult to speak up

3. To be able to use a variety of communication skills to receive highly sensitive, complicated or contentious information from all staff, and determine how to handle this being mindful of confidentiality and trusts requirements.

4. The postholder will be required to be the first point of contact for staff raising concerns under the FTSU process and must be able to respond appropriately to these, escalating where required and fulfilling the FTSU process.

5. Take action to ensure that all staff have the skills and knowledge they need to enable them to speak up effectively, and to support others to do so

6. To develop strong and open working relationships with senior leaders and key teams such as Staff Side representatives and HR to support the FTSU programme

Policy & Service Development

7. To have knowledge of responsibilities related to safety and quality that teams and partners within and outside the organisation hold.

8. To have knowledge of local speaking up processes and sources of support and guidance, including escalation processes

9. To have knowledge of wider FTSU developments, best practice, and direction nationally e and make recommendations on how to apply these to the organisation and implement any agreed changes.

10. Tohave knowledge of processes to escalate potential patient safety and quality issues.

11. To have knowledge of wider policy initiatives, and sources of additional support from other organisations, as well as those within individual organisations

12. To review and make improvements of FTSU guidance and processes

13. To develop strategies and action plans to improve FTSU culture across the organisation

Information Management

14. Responsible for the development of measures and indicators of local FTSU culture

15. Undertake assessment of the effectiveness of FTSU processes and activities analysing data and information to identify trends or patterns, interpreting these results and comparing a range of possible of interventions where required.

16. Responsible for the production and presentation of reports to help senior leaders understand FTSU culture

17. To hold senior leaders to account, challenging them, and supporting them in improvement

Financial Resources & Training

18. To be responsible for the delegated budget relating to Freedom to Speak Up

19. Responsible for providing training to FTSU champions and others across the organisation as required.

Personal Development

20. To demonstrate the following Freedom to Speak Up values at all times:

a. Courage speaking truthfully and challenging appropriately

b. Impartiality remaining objective and unbiased

c. Empathy listening well and acting with sensitivity

d. Learning seeking and providing feedback and looking for opportunities to improve

21. To have awareness of, and reflection on, own skills and abilities and training needs

Job description

Job responsibilities

Communication & Engagement

1. Responsible for the development and delivery of communication and engagement programmes across both trusts.

2.Responsible for sensitive and supportive engagement with individuals, particularly those who find it difficult to speak up

3. To be able to use a variety of communication skills to receive highly sensitive, complicated or contentious information from all staff, and determine how to handle this being mindful of confidentiality and trusts requirements.

4. The postholder will be required to be the first point of contact for staff raising concerns under the FTSU process and must be able to respond appropriately to these, escalating where required and fulfilling the FTSU process.

5. Take action to ensure that all staff have the skills and knowledge they need to enable them to speak up effectively, and to support others to do so

6. To develop strong and open working relationships with senior leaders and key teams such as Staff Side representatives and HR to support the FTSU programme

Policy & Service Development

7. To have knowledge of responsibilities related to safety and quality that teams and partners within and outside the organisation hold.

8. To have knowledge of local speaking up processes and sources of support and guidance, including escalation processes

9. To have knowledge of wider FTSU developments, best practice, and direction nationally e and make recommendations on how to apply these to the organisation and implement any agreed changes.

10. Tohave knowledge of processes to escalate potential patient safety and quality issues.

11. To have knowledge of wider policy initiatives, and sources of additional support from other organisations, as well as those within individual organisations

12. To review and make improvements of FTSU guidance and processes

13. To develop strategies and action plans to improve FTSU culture across the organisation

Information Management

14. Responsible for the development of measures and indicators of local FTSU culture

15. Undertake assessment of the effectiveness of FTSU processes and activities analysing data and information to identify trends or patterns, interpreting these results and comparing a range of possible of interventions where required.

16. Responsible for the production and presentation of reports to help senior leaders understand FTSU culture

17. To hold senior leaders to account, challenging them, and supporting them in improvement

Financial Resources & Training

18. To be responsible for the delegated budget relating to Freedom to Speak Up

19. Responsible for providing training to FTSU champions and others across the organisation as required.

Personal Development

20. To demonstrate the following Freedom to Speak Up values at all times:

a. Courage speaking truthfully and challenging appropriately

b. Impartiality remaining objective and unbiased

c. Empathy listening well and acting with sensitivity

d. Learning seeking and providing feedback and looking for opportunities to improve

21. To have awareness of, and reflection on, own skills and abilities and training needs

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Master's level qualification or equivalent experience
  • Knowledge of NHS process and procedures

Desirable

  • Register Clinicianed
  • Ability to seek out support on procedures, where knowledge lacking
  • Leadership & Management training

Experience

Essential

  • Dealing with difficult and emotional situations
  • Working within the NHS
  • Understanding of staff and patient experience
  • Having skills to imaginatively raise knowledge and awareness of the FTSU programme

Desirable

  • Knowledge of hot to get around the organisation to get results
  • Ability to work with FTSU peers in other organisations
  • Experience of working in a Community NHS organisation

Skills, Abilites & Knowledge

Essential

  • The skill to build up partnerships with the relevant departments across linked units
  • To be proficient in managing the time spent on the cases and ensure that the feedback to staff is effectively maintained at a high level
  • The courage to always speak truthfully and to be able to challenge appropriately all staff
  • To be impartial and be able to remain objective and unbiased on all cases
  • To have empathy to listen attentively to members of staff
  • The ability to work effectively with senior leaders, managers and Board members
  • To be able to work by oneself as well as being supportive of other trust's with FTSU Guardian
  • To lead with the development of maximising training of all staff members in the Freedom to Speak Up Programme
  • Standard keyboard skills

Desirable

  • Support the training of champions across the trusts and building capacity of managers to deal with freedom to speak up concerns
  • To ensure that the Guardian learns from the issues raised and ensure that such lessons are implemented appropriately throughout the trust within our continuous improvement programme
  • Set up programme to communicate the FTSU programme at all meetings as well as seeking opportunities to attend team and staff meetings across the trust

Communication

Essential

  • The ability to communicate with staff at all levels and within all settings, both clinical and non-clinical. This can include substantive employees, temporary and agency employees, volunteers and contracted staff.
  • To understand and be able to explain the Freedom to Speak Up agenda both within the trust and nationally.
  • To be able to explain the trust FTSU Policy and the relevant procedures and processes.
  • To be skilled enough to make presentations to a range of audiences and formats, including all levels of staff meetings explaining the FTSU programme

Personal and People Development

Essential

  • Experience of delivery of training programmes

Personal Attributes / Behaviours

Essential

  • Having empathy to easily deal with all members of staff
  • Ability to talk candidly and confidentially to senior managers and Directors
  • Self-motivating
  • Able to build up confidence of senior managers and the Trust Board in your ability to do the role
  • Demonstration of exemplar behaviour in accordance with both trust values and behaviours
  • To commit to attend all Regional and National FTSU network meetings

Desirable

  • Ability to emphasise confidentially of dealings with every member of staff
  • Ability to pro-actively listen and respect the staff member's views

Other

Essential

  • Ability to travel across the whole geography of both trusts
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Master's level qualification or equivalent experience
  • Knowledge of NHS process and procedures

Desirable

  • Register Clinicianed
  • Ability to seek out support on procedures, where knowledge lacking
  • Leadership & Management training

Experience

Essential

  • Dealing with difficult and emotional situations
  • Working within the NHS
  • Understanding of staff and patient experience
  • Having skills to imaginatively raise knowledge and awareness of the FTSU programme

Desirable

  • Knowledge of hot to get around the organisation to get results
  • Ability to work with FTSU peers in other organisations
  • Experience of working in a Community NHS organisation

Skills, Abilites & Knowledge

Essential

  • The skill to build up partnerships with the relevant departments across linked units
  • To be proficient in managing the time spent on the cases and ensure that the feedback to staff is effectively maintained at a high level
  • The courage to always speak truthfully and to be able to challenge appropriately all staff
  • To be impartial and be able to remain objective and unbiased on all cases
  • To have empathy to listen attentively to members of staff
  • The ability to work effectively with senior leaders, managers and Board members
  • To be able to work by oneself as well as being supportive of other trust's with FTSU Guardian
  • To lead with the development of maximising training of all staff members in the Freedom to Speak Up Programme
  • Standard keyboard skills

Desirable

  • Support the training of champions across the trusts and building capacity of managers to deal with freedom to speak up concerns
  • To ensure that the Guardian learns from the issues raised and ensure that such lessons are implemented appropriately throughout the trust within our continuous improvement programme
  • Set up programme to communicate the FTSU programme at all meetings as well as seeking opportunities to attend team and staff meetings across the trust

Communication

Essential

  • The ability to communicate with staff at all levels and within all settings, both clinical and non-clinical. This can include substantive employees, temporary and agency employees, volunteers and contracted staff.
  • To understand and be able to explain the Freedom to Speak Up agenda both within the trust and nationally.
  • To be able to explain the trust FTSU Policy and the relevant procedures and processes.
  • To be skilled enough to make presentations to a range of audiences and formats, including all levels of staff meetings explaining the FTSU programme

Personal and People Development

Essential

  • Experience of delivery of training programmes

Personal Attributes / Behaviours

Essential

  • Having empathy to easily deal with all members of staff
  • Ability to talk candidly and confidentially to senior managers and Directors
  • Self-motivating
  • Able to build up confidence of senior managers and the Trust Board in your ability to do the role
  • Demonstration of exemplar behaviour in accordance with both trust values and behaviours
  • To commit to attend all Regional and National FTSU network meetings

Desirable

  • Ability to emphasise confidentially of dealings with every member of staff
  • Ability to pro-actively listen and respect the staff member's views

Other

Essential

  • Ability to travel across the whole geography of both trusts

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).

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.

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

Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust

Address

Flexible, across trust sites

Flexible, across trust sites

NR2 3TU


Employer's website

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

Employer details

Employer name

Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust

Address

Flexible, across trust sites

Flexible, across trust sites

NR2 3TU


Employer's website

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

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Freedom to Speak Up Guardians

Nijck Bowman / Sarah Feal

nicholas.bowman@nchc.nhs.uk

Details

Date posted

23 January 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,810 to £54,710 a year pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

839-7758874-RB

Job locations

Flexible, across trust sites

Flexible, across trust sites

NR2 3TU


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

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