• A new report by the National Guardian’s Office reveals that over the last year cases of speaking up to guardians have risen by 73%, compared to 2017/18.
• Of the 12,000 cases raised between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019, guardians reported that almost a third included an element of patient safety/quality of care, and just over 40% included an element of bullying/harassment.
• There are now Freedom to Speak Up Guardians in every trust in England.

Responding to ‘Speaking up in the NHS in England 2018/19’ from the National Guardian’s Office, the director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, Miriam Deakin said:

“It is a positive step that over the last year more NHS staff have felt able and been supported to speak up on issues that impact them, patient safety and quality of care.

“This builds on the work of trusts in which the majority have seen improvements in their speaking up cultures and their efforts to tackle concerns about bullying and harassment. Trusts leaders continue to be committed to improving the support and assistance provided to staff to raise these concerns.

We know that improvements to the working conditions for all NHS staff and quality of care for patients and their families will be built upon a culture where staff feel empowered to speak up, and lessons are learned from this feedback.

Miriam Deakin    Co-Director of Development and Engagement

“We know that improvements to the working conditions for all NHS staff and quality of care for patients and their families will be built upon a culture where staff feel empowered to speak up, and lessons are learned from this feedback.

“While it is clear there has been further improvement, we know that there is more to do. The report from the National Guardian’s Office shows there is variation among trusts. It is important to continue to support learning among trusts, and share examples of good practise between organisations.”