Job responsibilities
Job Purpose
The NHS L&SC Freedom to Speak Up Guardian (FTSUG) will be a visible advocate and champion in the development of a transparent and psychologically safe cultural environment where staff welfare, patient safety and quality of care are core. The post holder will demonstrate compassionate leadership and improve the experience of colleagues who speak up by providing specialist advice, support, identifying and addressing any barriers to speaking up to ensure the promotion a positive speaking up culture.
The FTSUG will ensure that as a result of issues being raised there is an opportunity for learning and improving both within and across NHS L&SC system. The FTSUG will work independently and act impartially. They will work with the Chief Executive Officer, Board Members and Senior Leadership Teams to support the organisation developing an open and transparent culture, where staff are valued for speaking up. The FTSUG will report on a routine basis to the ICB Board and for taking appropriate action to create a positive speaking up culture across NHS L&SC.
They will work with and support the FTSU summit to assess trends, responses and triangulate information raised.
The FTSU Guardian will also lead the ICBs FTSU system responsibilities including monitoring, oversight and assurance arrangements and scope the following opportunities provided by working in a new Integrated Care System:
- Scope and review of a robust FTSU process and support arrangements for primary care, social care and VCSE organisations providing health and care, across NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria.
- Explore how we assure ourselves and have oversight across the region in respect of Provider FTSU interventions, outcomes and risks linked to existing quality assurance arrangements.
- Explore how we can develop a community of practice across FTSU Champions and Guardians across NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria.
The FTSUG will represent NHS L&SC at a national level, including regular liaison with the National Guardians Office, and the regional Guardians Network ensuring all key messages are shared and implemented as appropriately.
Communication and Relationships
- The post holder will meet regularly with NHS L&SC Chief Executive, NED FTSU Lead, FTSU Senior Responsible Officer and Guardians to highlight areas of concern, feedback themes from staff speaking up and share experiences and outcomes.
- Act as a critical friend to Board members, supporting the Board in ensuring it takes appropriate action to create a Freedom to Speak Up culture, assess trends, and actively respond to issues that are being raised.
- Working in partnership with Communication and Engagement colleagues to develop and deliver FTSU communication and engagement interventions aimed at:
- Increasing the understanding and visibility of the FTSUG and FTSU Ambassador roles amongst the organisations workforce.
- Promoting 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 the freedom to speak up message is relayed clearly to all
- The post holder will ensure that staff are aware of, and have access to, support to help them speak up.
- The FTSUG will be a highly visible individual, who spends time with staff providing expertise in developing a safe culture which supports and encourages staff to speak up and if necessary, advising them on how to raise concerns, including externally.
- Ensure that individuals receive appropriate feedback on how issues about which they speak up are investigated, and the conclusion of any investigation.
- The post holder will support managers to develop appropriate attitudes, knowledge and skills to respond to staff speaking up.
- The FTSUG will coordinate and further develop a network of ambassadors who will work for cultural change to ensure that FTSU is embedded within the cultural change process and reaches all parts of the organisation with easy access to advice and support
- The FTSUG will develop personal networks and peer relationships, contributing to wider networking, including the NW Regional network events, and sharing and learning from best practice.
- The postholder will role model behaviours in support of FTSU best practice and challenge colleagues if this is not adhered to.
- Provide FTSU specialist support to a wide range of internal teams, who maybe experiencing This will involve challenging behaviours which are not aligned with the culture and values of NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria.
Information Resources, Analysis and Decision Making
- The post holder will assess the effectiveness of speaking up processes and the handling of individual cases and make recommendations for improvement as and when
- The role will lead on highly complex work and reports on a frequent basis which require a high level of concentration.
- Ensure that information and data are handled appropriately, and personal and confidential data are protected.
Planning and Organisation
- The FTSUG will co-ordinate the completion of consolidated data and information returns for the national guardians office and our respective internal Boards and Committees ensure we meet national return timescales and internal governance requirements.
- Lead on organisational and system FTSU programmes with responsibility for delivering outcomes as agreed including design, development and implementation of project and delivery plans including governance, reporting and financial costing.
- The Lead FTSU Guardian will scope and have oversight of the following opportunities provided by working in a new Integrated Care System:
- Scope and review of a robust FTSU process and support arrangements for primary care, social care and VCSE organisations providing health and care, across NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria.
- Explore how we assure ourselves and have oversight across the region in respect of Provider FTSU interventions, outcomes and risks aligned to organisational quality arrangements.
- Explore how we can develop a community of practice across FTSU Champions and Guardians across NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria
- Ensure alignment and consistency of approach with current NHSE Guidance and NGO developments.
- Implement any findings, actions and recommendations associated with this.
Policy and Service Development
- The post holder will have an awareness of and be connected to HR policies, in particular with regards to recruitment, grievance, and disciplinary matters, as well as those connected to issues around fraud, clinical practice and whistleblowing.
- The post holder will lead on the development and review of the FTSU policy working with other managers with responsibility for policy development to ensure all other relevant policies are cross referenced to FTSU.
- The post holder will work in partnership with other departments throughout NHS L&SC to ensure that speaking up principles are embedded within all of NHS L&SCs policies.
- The FTSUG will lead in the interpretation of national policy and give guidance on changes in legislation, government guidelines and policy development in respect of FTSU matters.
- The role will contribute to the development and implementation of a culture of staff involvement and engagement that is open, transparent and encourages staff to speak.
People Management
- The FTSUG will provide specialist and generic FTSU training to respective FTSU colleagues including Guardians, Ambassadors, Line Managers and Staff to ensure they develop the appropriate skills, knowledge and behaviours.
- Participate in the organisations learning and development programmes for all staff so that they understand how they can speak up and for managers about how they respond to concerns and supporting the member of staff appropriately.
- The post holder will work alongside EDI colleagues to ensure that staff with protected characteristics are encouraged to speak out and are not disadvantaged by doing so.
- The post holder will assess the requirement to immediately escalate safety concerns to the appropriate persons and seek assurance that they have been acted on.
- The FTSUG will handle a range of sensitive information and will require high levels of emotional effort and concentration as people may often be talking about sensitive issues or things of a disturbing nature.
- Work effectively as part of the People team by inspiring with vision and providing motivational leadership and clear direction for all associated partners.
- Manage own workload and make informed decisions in the absence of required information, working to tight and often challenging timescales.
- Promote the business and people benefits of a wellbeing culture ensuring that wellbeing is a shared responsibility and integrated into all people practices.
Research, Development and Audit
- The post holder will undertake research to assess the awareness of FTSU and the attitudes of staff to speaking up.
- The post holder will continuously monitor and evaluate the implementation of FTSU across the organisation and be responsible for the operation of information systems for the collection and analysis of FTSU data.
- Regularly undertake surveys and audits on FTSU practice and delivery systems across NHS L&SC and use the findings to further develop and improve FTSU practices and
- Plan and undertake research to ensure the NHS L&SC is using proven successful and good practice approaches to FTSU also to ensure any emergent learning is shared with partners and FTSU Guardians and Ambassadors to facilitate local improvement/development.
- Undertake regular research to keep professionally up to date, and to anticipate and plan for research, innovation and policy changes aligned to FTSU.