Freedom to Speak Up (FtSU) (Train the Trainer Programme for the Freedom to Speak Up Guardians)

This Request for Quotation invites interested parties to develop and deliver a ‘train the trainer’ package to support sustainable delivery of primarily foundation training for Freedom To Speak Up Guardians which has been developed and thus far delivered by the National Guardian’s Office (“NGO”) for Freedom To Speak Up Guardians in trusts and foundation trusts.
In June 2014, the Secretary of State for Health commissioned Sir Robert Francis QC to carry out an independent review into the culture in the NHS for workers wanting to raise concerns about safety, quality and the effectiveness of the service. A key recommendation of Sir Robert’s report - ‘Freedom to Speak Up’ was the appointment of a National Guardian, to provide national leadership in driving the creation of an environment in which all NHS workers feel confident to speak up about anything affecting patient or staff safety/ experience. The report also called for the appointment of a Freedom to Speak Up (FtSU) Guardian in every NHS trust in England to give independent support and guidance to staff who want to speak up, and for them to work with local Trust leaders to create the right environment for so doing. The standard NHS contract required all trusts and foundation trusts to nominate a Freedom to Speak Up Guardian by October 2016.
The National Guardian oversees the newly established network of locally appointed guardians and supports them through establishing common standards in the role and sharing good practice, including the local handling of cases of staff speaking up. Through this work the National Guardian provides challenge and support for system improvements, drawing on the powers and support of key regulators, including the three main sponsors of the role – the Care Quality Commission, NHS Improvement and NHS England.
Dr Henrietta Hughes took up post as the National Guardian in October 2016. The National Guardian Office’s priorities include providing training and support for newly appointed FtSU Guardians, developing the regional and national network of Guardians to promote opportunities for local learning and sharing of good practice, and establishing and launching a case review process.