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October is Speak Up Month

October 13, 2021

The pandemic has highlighted that speaking up has never been more important for the benefit of colleagues and patients.

October marks Speak Up Month, an opportunity to raise awareness and the difference which Freedom to Speak Up is making. This year the National Guardian’s Office is encouraging everyone to play their part to Speak up, Listen up and Follow up.

During Speak Up Month, at SWB we encourage managers to use this as an opportunity for discussion with their colleagues and teams. 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.

The National Guardian’s Office, in association with Health Education England, has also developed an e-learning package which is freely available for anyone wherever they work. You can access it here: https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/freedom-to-speak-up/) The first module, Speak Up, available for all workers, describes what speaking up is and why it is important. The second session, Listen Up, is aimed at managers at all levels and focuses on listening and understanding the barriers to speaking up. The final module, Follow Up, aimed at senior leaders – including executive and non-executive directors, lay members and governors – is coming soon.

Our staff network leads can also be contacted if you want to raise a concern. You can contact our staff networks using the details below.

Our Speak Up Guardians are part of regional and national networks sharing ideas and experiences, a wealth of experience and information to help you Speak Up. You can see a list of Freedom to Speak up Guardians and their contact details below:

Freedom to Speak Up Guardians:

  • Rosie Auld – Rosie is Head Orthoptist in Surgery though she works across all the Trusts’ sites. Email: rosieauld@nhs.net
  • Ian Galligan – Ian is a Technical Supervisor in Medical Engineering. Email: ian.galligan1@nhs.net
  • Sandra Kennelly – Sandra works in the community as a Clinical Team Leader/ Occupational Therapist with Primary Care, Community and Therapies. Email: sandra.kennelly@nhs.net
  • Harpal Tiwana – Harpal works in Primary Care, Community and Therapies as an Assistant Service Manager. Email: harpal.tiwana@nhs.net
  • Cheryl Newton – Cheryl is the Group Director of Nursing for Women and Child Health Group. Email: cheryl.newton@nhs.net