What is Speaking Up?
When things go wrong, we need to make sure that lessons are learnt, and things are improved.
If we think something might go wrong, it’s important that we all feel able to speak up to stop potential harm.
Even when things are good, but could be even better, we should feel able to say something and be confident that our suggestion will be used as an opportunity for improvement.
Who can speak Up?
Freedom to Speak Up is for anyone who works in health. This includes any healthcare professionals, non-clinical workers, senior, middle, and junior managers, volunteers, students, locum, bank and agency workers and former employees.
Everyone who works at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust should feel free to speak up, even when they are not sure whether there is a serious issue at stake or not.
You may be worried about raising a concern and we do understand this. In accordance with our duty of candour, our senior managers and Trust board are committed to an open and honest culture, we will investigate what you say, and you will have access to the support you need.
PHU colleagues can find more information on the staff intranet.
Patients and their families who have concerns or suggestions for improvement, should contact Patient advice and Liaison Services (PALS).
Our Freedom to Speak Up Guardian is Jenny Michael.
guardianforstaff
Ext 3641
When you raise an issue with a Freedom To Speak Up (FTSU) Guardian, you might not be sure how best to pursue it, or even whether you’ve come to the right place, so we’ll take some time to clarify your issue with you and then help you decide.
For example, it may be that you then want to speak to your manager, a colleague, Trades Union Representative or HR yourself, or you may want support from FTSU for the issue to be raised. You can raise issues in confidence if you’d like or even anonymously, although that may make it more difficult if we need more information or need to feed back to you.
Our FTSU guardians aim to amicably resolve issues at the lowest practical level, and this happens in most cases. However in some cases, where appropriate, FTSU may commission a review to look at bigger problems and solutions.
Our FTSU guardians also raise the live issues within their areas regularly (within the bounds of confidentiality) with senior managers and senior FTSU guardian links for that area, particularly where an issue is proving difficult or slow to resolve.
When you raise an issue with a Freedom To Speak Up (FTSU) Guardian, you might not be sure how best to pursue it, or even whether you’ve come to the right place, so we’ll take some time to clarify your issue with you and then help you decide.
For example, it may be that you then want to speak to your manager, a colleague, Trades Union Representative or HR yourself, or you may want support from FTSU for the issue to be raised. You can raise issues in confidence if you’d like or even anonymously, although that may make it more difficult if we need more information or need to feed back to you.
Our FTSU guardians aim to amicably resolve issues at the lowest practical level, and this happens in most cases. However in some cases, where appropriate, FTSU may commission a review to look at bigger problems and solutions.
Our FTSU guardians also raise the live issues within their areas regularly (within the bounds of confidentiality) with senior managers and senior FTSU guardian links for that area, particularly where an issue is proving difficult or slow to resolve.
You can speak up about anything that gets in the way of patient care.
This could be something which doesn’t feel right, for example a way of working or a process which isn’t being followed, or behaviours of others which you feel is having an impact on the wellbeing of you or the people around you.
Speaking up is about all these things.