Freedom to Speak Up Champion Handbook
Version 2.0 / Feb 2026 Author Andrew Lamb
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Contents Page Introduction
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What is speaking up and why is it important?
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Purpose of the Freedom to Speak Up Champion Role
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Principles
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Communication
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Appointment
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Training
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Support
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Confidentiality
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Monitoring the effectiveness of Champion Networks
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Summary of Principles
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Frequently asked questions and answers
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Appendix 1: Freedom to Speak Up Champion Confidentiality Agreement
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Appendix 2: Its Not Okay Route Map
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Alternative contact Numbers
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Acknowledgements
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Introduction The role of Freedom to Speak Up Guardians and the National Guardian for the NHS were established in 2016 following recommendations from Sir Robert Francis’ Freedom to Speak Up Inquiry. Freedom to Speak Up Guardians support workers to speak up when they feel that they are unable to do so by other routes. They ensure that people who speak up are thanked, the issues they raise are responded to and that the person speaking up receives feedback on the actions taken. Freedom to Speak Up guardians are appointed by the organisation they support and abide by the guidance issued by the National Guardian’s Office and our Trust ICORE values. They work proactively to support their organisation to tackle barriers to speaking up. Guardians come from a wide range of professional backgrounds and seniority. Freedom to Speak Up guardians cannot be effective in isolation. Their role requires them to work in partnership throughout their organisation to support speaking up and translate this learning to improve the safety and experience of all. This requires the time, commitment, and support of everyone responsible for fostering a speak up, listen up, follow up culture. Here at Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust the role is a full time role to allow the Guardian to be able to support staff raising concerns and work in collaboration to proactively build a learning culture. Many organisations have developed internal networks of Freedom to Speak Up champions to raise awareness and promote the value of speaking up, listening up and following up. Many guardians rely on these networks to address challenges posed by organisation size, geography, and the nature of their work and to help them support workers, especially those who may face barriers to speaking up. At Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust our aim to have a networks of Champions across all departments, specialities and professional groups across the Trust. This guide sets out the roles and responsibilities of the Freedom to Speak Up Champion Role and how this will work in Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust as a Freedom to Speak Up Champion Network to support the Freedom to Speak Up Guardian in supporting the needs and concerns of our staff here at Gateshead.
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What is Speaking Up and why is it Important? Speaking up is the opportunity to tell someone about anything that gets in the way of providing good patient care and patient and colleague experience. It is about voicing our concerns about anything that is not in keeping with the culture and values of the organisation. 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 is important that we all feel able to speak up before it does, so that potential harm can be prevented. Even when things are good, but could be better, we should feel able to say something and should expect that our suggestion is listened to and used as an opportunity for improvement. Therefore encouraging colleagues to make suggestions, constructively criticise and be open about errors without fear of reprisal. Speaking up this way will help Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust to identify areas of concern that it might not otherwise have known about. Views, improvements, ideas and concerns can act as an early warning system. When colleagues feel speaking up is welcomed and dealt with promptly, organisations see an increase in Patient Safety near miss reporting and a reporting and reduction in more formal employee relations processes
“Building and fostering a culture of psychological safety for all staff to be able to have their voices heard will deliver a satisfied and engaged workforce, ensuring we have safe, high quality care for our patients”. Tracy Healy Freedom to Speak Up Guardian
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The Purpose of the Freedom to Speak Up Champion role Freedom to Speak up Champions have a vital role in: Awareness raising - Ensuring workers understand the importance of speaking up, listening up and following up. Signposting - Discussing concerns with workers and providing details of speaking up routes as stated in their organisations Freedom to Speak Up Policy or It’s Not Okay Route Map. Promoting a positive speaking up culture - Supporting their organisation to welcome and celebrate speaking up. The National Guardian’s Office recommends a clear distinction between the roles of champion and guardian. Only Freedom to Speak up guardian's, having received the National Guardian’s Office training and registered on the NGO’s public directory, should handle speaking up cases. This ensures quality and consistency in how workers are supported when speaking up.
Principles
We expect the following principles to be applied: Awareness raising Being visible and accessible Promoting speaking up within groups, departments and locations - particularly those that may be more remote from other parts of the organisation. Role modelling the values and behaviours associated with speaking up, listening up and following up (See Freedom to Speak Up e-learning here). Role modelling the values and behaviours of Gatehshead Health NHS Foundation Trust - ICORE Values
Outcome Workers are reminded of the importance of speaking up and encouraged to make is ‘business as usual’.
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Signposting Detailed knowledge of local speaking up policy and process including escalation routes and and useful contact including the Freedom to Speak Up Guardian and providing information on options available to the worker to speak up. (FTSUG Email address: ghnt.ftsu@nhs.net, Phone 0191 445 8256 or mobile 07483975392). However, if it is identified that there is a patient safety or safeguarding risk, the Champion should follow their organisational Safeguarding Policy. Outcome Workers are reminded of the importance of speaking up and encouraged to make it ‘business as usual’. Feedback Share themes of any feedback from workers with the Freedom to Speak Up Guardian. Outcome Workers’ feedback helps improve the support offered to everyone. Workers feel listened to and that their voice counts. Learning Our Champion network has been formed to ensure that issues/themes are captured and communicated sensitively with the Freedom to Speak Up Guardian for wider learning and follow up from cases for shared learning is shared across all departments with the Champions playing a key role in ensuring that this reaches the staff across all departments. Speaking up is an opportunity to learn and improve. Outcome Freedom to Speak up Guardians and senior leaders have a better understanding of barriers that may prevent workers speaking up within their organisation, an understanding of which routes to speak up are being used and their effectiveness.
Communication
It is vital that staff understand the purpose of the champion role. Clear, regular communications to staff about the role expectations of Freedom to Speak up champions will help to avoid confusion between the guardian and champion roles
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Appointment Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust has a full-time guardian and a network of champions who have been appointed as per the National Guardian Office guidelines. The Champions have completed an expression of interest form and have the support of their line manager to be able to undertake the role. Champions are expected to adhere to the Trust ICORE values as well as promoting them with others. Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust aim is to have a network of diverse champions who represent the staff from all areas and departments of the Trust as well as having representation from groups who face additional barriers to speaking up.
Training All champions will require to undertake training which includes the Freedom to Speak up modules co-produced by the National Guardian Office and Health Education England for workers and managers. This will ensure that champions understand speaking up and the expectations about responding well when someone speaks up. There will also be a training session delivered by the Guardian to prepare you and ensure that you are fully aware of the expectations, the escalation routes available to workers as per the trusts Freedom to Speak Up Policy, the Its Not Okay Route Map, safeguarding training to help champions identify any safeguarding concerns discussed with them and know where and when to escalate these concerns to. The training you receive will be ongoing depending on the need for extra any extra sessions or any new information or changes introduced.
Support
Speaking up roles are not easy and require support. Whilst you will not be handling cases, you are still likely to be contacted about difficult and distressing issues. As a champion, you will be provided with regular support from your guardian and have the opportunity for: Buddying Regular champion network meetings Regular contact with the Freedom to Speak Up Guardian Training Access to Trust assistance programs if required
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Confidentiality
Staff members may approach you to speak up, so it is important that everyone understands the extent of the champion role and that you do not handle cases. Your role is to thank and signpost people to available routes to speak up, including where appropriate, the Freedom to Speak Up Guardian. You must not record identifying details of the members of staff who contact you unless you are legally obliged to disclose information shared with you, for example a Subject Access Request (SAR) of an email trail with a member of staff exploring speaking up routes. In exceptional circumstances, confidentiality may need to be broken, for example, if there is an immediate risk of harm to an individual whether that be patient or staff. However, there may be other ways to protect confidentiality, even in situations when you must take action to safeguard an individual, for example, if the person contacting you does not take the action themselves. If you have any questions about breaking confidentiality, you should have a discussion with your guardian first or in their absence with the executive lead for Freedom to Speak Up within the trust. As a champion you will need to share with the guardian any thematic information, and any contacts you have had with the guardian to enable wider learning. Please refer to Appendix 1 for the confidentiality form which is required to be completed by all champions.
Monitoring the use and effectiveness of champion networks
The NGO encourages the Freedom to Speak Up Guardian to regularly review their local champion networks to ensure that they continue to meet the needs of the staff and members of the network, which include taking action to address any issues that may arise. For you this will mean: Regular opportunities for you to feedback how well it works for you and staff. Review the speaking up data and survey data/feedback from staff so the needs of all workers are met. Your guardian will regularly review the network size and composition and how regularly this is refreshed. The guardian will set the frequency and format of the meetings with suggestions from all the champions. As part of the champion network there is an expectation that you are active in this role and support staff ensuring you join network meetings to gain up to date information to feedback to wards and departments across the Trust. As a champion, if you are not adhering to guidance or your circumstances have changed, or you no longer wish to undertake the role, the guardian will arrange a Page 8 conversation to offer support or step you down from the role.
Summary of Principles At Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, the supporting Freedom to Speak Up roles are known as Champions. As a Champion, you must understand the difference between your role and the Guardian’s. Champions do not record identifying information. You and your line manager understand the role expectations and potential time commitment of the role. As a Champion you do not take cases, you will signpost to support staff. As a Champion you will uphold the NGO and Trust’s values You will undertake training prior to commencing in the role and continue to join regular meetings to keep you updated. We will regularly review the Freedom to Speak Up networks to monitor effectiveness. As a Champion you will support the culture of Freedom to Speak Up. As a Champion you will be asked to support the promotion of the service and participate in promotional activities and events. As a Champion you will support the promotion of Freedom to Speak Up through education of staff in the Trust. Page 9
Frequently asked questions and answers
Q. Can any member of staff become a champion? A. The recruitment of champions at Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust will be undertaken via an expression of interest and ensuring that staff who apply have the correct values and behaviours in line with the NGO and Trusts values and behaviours. Staff who apply to become a champion also need to have the support of their line managers to be able to undertake the role. If staff who express an interest, whose fulltime roles maybe seen as a conflict, such as a Union Representative, they can still undertake both roles but just be very clear when people bring concerns to them which capacity they are approaching them for. Q. Some champions may also be line managers, what should they do if they receive a concern? A. If a staff member is speaking up to you who you line manager, then you would receive the concern as a line manager and mange this as per Trust’s policy for Freedom to Speak Up, and ensuring the staff member is aware this is what you are doing but giving them the information of escalation routes if they do not feel they have had the correct actions undertaken. Q. Are all champions appointed using the same process? A. Sometimes champions have been appointed from other staff networks such as LGBTQ+, GEM, D-Ability etc. These champions will still have to undertake the same training and demonstrate the values and behaviours required. Q. if my guardian does not have capacity to manage all of the cases can champions support handling cases? A. Champions should not handle speaking u cases, if your guardian is stretched with cases they will escalate to their executive and non-executive leads to gain support with time allocation for Freedom to Speak Up and prioritise other aspects of the role. The guardian may ask for support with other aspects of the role from the champions rather than case management.
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Q. If my circumstances change and I am unable to give time for the role what do I need to do? A. If you can speak with the guardian as they may be able to support you by discussing time allocated to support with your line manager. If you wish to step down due to personal circumstances, as this is a voluntary role, your guardian would support your request and again if in the future you were able to support we could fast track an update of training to rejoin the network. Q. When a member of staff raises a concern with you do you always have to signpost them to the Guardian? A. It may be appropriate after speaking with the member of staff that they are signposted to others for support as per the Freedom to Speak Up policy. This could include their line manager, another department manager, or People and OD Lead. However, it would be advantageous for the champion to make the guardian aware of the concern raised in case future escalation or support is required. Q. As a champion can I pass on contact details to the guardian if asked to do so by the people that approaches me? A. The NGO would advise wherever possible the champions encourage the person who contacts them to contact the guardian directly themselves. This will avoid blurring the lines between signposting and escalating. The NGO feel that there is a risk tat even what seems like a simple action could result in the champion being seen as part of the escalation route or even been drawn into the case. If the person is unable for whatever reason to contact the guardian directly themselves, then in these extreme circumstances it may be necessary for the champion to support them doing this. Q: Can a champion deputise in the absence of the Guardian? A. Champions are not able to deputise in the management of any cases and are not able to represent at Guardian networks in line with NGO guidance. Areas champions may support would be in training and education, if they are comfortable and competent to do so for certain sessions.
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Appendix 1:
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Appendix 2:
Weblink: It’s Not Okay Route Map
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Alternative Emergency Contact Details If you need to raise a concern about immediate patient/staff safety, or a serious concern that may require urgent support in the absence of the Freedom to Speak Up Guardian, the member of staff should be encouraged to speak with their immediate/senior manager. Alternatively they may wish to contact the patient safety/safeguarding team or the People and OD Advisory team as appropriate.
Description
Phone
Patient Safety
0191 445 2702
ghnt.patientsafetyteam@nhs .net
Safeguarding Adults
0191 445 2036
ghnt.safeguarding.adults@nhs .net
Safeguarding Children
0191 445 2248 0191 445 8520
gan-tr.safeguardingchildren@nhs.net
People & OD Advisory Team
0191 445 5428
ghnt.podservicesadvice@nhs. net
Trade Union Members
ghnt.staffside@nhs.net
Professional Nurse Advocates
ghnt.PNA.REGISTEREDNURSING @nhs.net
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Acknowledgments The information in this guide is sourced from the National Guardians Office, taken from the national guardians feedback which has enabled the information and accompanying guidance to be developed for use of your Trust’s Freedom to Speak Up Guardian to tailor to the needs of your staff.
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