October is Speak Up Month

October 16, 2020

October is Speak Up Month, take a few minutes to watch this short video from Kathleen French, Interim Chief Nurse regarding the importance of Speak Up Month and how speaking up needs to become part of the culture at the Trust.

This Speak Up Month, the National Guardian’s Office is drawing up an Alphabet of Speak Up. There are 26 letters of the alphabet and 26 days to explore the issues, the people, the values, the challenges – everything which goes into what Freedom to Speak Up means in health. When things go wrong, we need to make sure that lessons are learnt and improvements made.

This year we will be supporting the National Guardian’s Office looking at the alphabet of speak up, with each day identifying a word and what that means to colleagues across the Trust.​ We are encouraging managers to use this as an opportunity for discussion with your colleagues and team. Speaking up is an important part of a culture that focuses on safety and quality, and we would like you and your teams to play a part in encouraging these conversations to be part of who we are and how we work.

Today’s letter is provided by Harpal Tiwana, Assistant Service Manager and Speak Up Guardian

O is for Openness

To empower staff we need to create an environment where we regard all viewpoints as important.  We should actively seek input from all staff to ensure they feel involved in change thus creating an open, honest and inclusive culture.