October is Speak Up Month
October 19, 2020
October is Speak Up Month and this year, 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 Sindeep Chatha, Head of Patient Safety and Risk.
P is for Patient Safety
Patient safety is at the heart of an open and transparent Speak Up culture. Learning from incidents, identifying themes and trends and investigating untoward events allows us to improve how we work, how we ensure safety and how we experience working within the Trust.
Sindeep Chatha, Head of Patient Safety and Risk, said: “Learning from incidents is about working in a culture that is blame free so that everyone involved in service delivery, whether this be clinical or a support service, knows that they can raise concerns safely and without fear”.
The Patient Safety Team comprise of:
- Sindeep Chatha, Head of Patient Safety and Risk – ext. 4974, sindeepchatha@nhs.net
- Laura McQuilkin, Patient Safety Manager – ext. 4885, laura.mcquilkin2@nhs.net
- Benjamin Hunwick, Patient Safety Manager – ext. 4850, benjamin.hunwick1@nhs.net