8 Jill Eastmond and Aisha Hanif are already familiar faces across our sites, making it their priority to get out to meet as many staff as possible face-to-face. Lead Freedom to Speak Up Guardian, Jill, joined the RFL eight months ago taking up the mantle from outgoing Guardian, Jim Mansfield. In taking on the role Jill also became guardian for North Mid, who had previously used an external guardian service. To develop the service further, Aisha was recruited as Jill’s deputy, enabling them to increase access and support for all who need it. Their role is to ensure that anyone who works at the trust can raise concerns safely, confidently and in confidence. This includes healthcare professionals, non-clinical staff, volunteers, contractors, bank staff, students and former employees. Jill said: “We make sure concerns are heard and addressed, so that as an organisation we can learn from every case and foster an inclusive culture where everyone is treated fairly and equally.” Jill is responsible for keeping relevant policies up to date and Aisha is focused on recruiting and increasing the number of Speaking Up Champions as well as increasing engagement with them. She said: “Aisha and I walk the floors regularly to visit clinics and departments, attend huddles and audit meetings. That interaction has resulted in a significant rise in the number of cases recorded in the first six months of the refreshed service. I’m also pleased that the number of anonymous concerns raised to us has been minimal, which indicates that colleagues feel safe speaking with us.” Supporting managers is an important part of the FTSU Guardian’s role as it encourages concerns to be resolved informally and locally wherever possible. This could help avoid lengthy and stressful formal processes, while reducing the risk of work related stress and long term sickness absence. Empowering staff to share their voice 9 L-R: Jill Eastmond and Aisha Hanif Gloria’s insights You don’t always need to have an answer before you speak up – sometimes you just need someone who will listen. Speaking up isn’t necessarily about complaining – it can be about seeking clarity, it can be about challenging something respectfully, it can be asking whether there is a better way of doing something and it can be about supporting someone else who may not be confident enough to speak for themselves. If a member of my team comes to me with something that they are uncomfortable with, or they feel that they haven’t been heard, I can listen to them and support them. But I also know I don’t need to be the person who has all the answers. I can say: “Have you considered speaking to Jill?” – that’s because I know from my own experience that the conversation is approachable, supportive and non-judgemental. Leadership isn’t about creating an environment where everyone agrees with you. It’s about creating an environment where people feel safe enough to disagree with you. If people are afraid to challenge decisions, raise concerns or tell us when something isn’t working, then we don’t have the full picture. In healthcare that can have serious consequences. “Feeling safe to have a conversation” Gloria Lewis, ward manager of the emergency department at North Mid has been supported by the FTSU Guardian service and shares her story: “I’ve never personally raised a formal Freedom to Speak Up concern but the service is so much more than that. It’s about having someone you trust, knowing where you can go, feeling safe to have a conversation, and knowing your voice matters. I met Jill through the WITH:STAND programme and I began to understand what the role was really about and, importantly, that you don’t necessarily have to wait until something becomes a serious problem before you speak to someone. Jill created an environment where I felt comfortable having conversations, asking questions and exploring situations and that has been really valuable to me. Jill is someone I can go to when I need to talk something through. Sometimes it’s been about understanding a policy. Sometimes it’s been about seeking advice. Sometimes it’s simply about getting another perspective before deciding how I want to approach something.” Gloria Lewis Contact us In addition to Jill and Aisha the trust has several site-based Speaking Up Champions. To contact the Champions, Speaking Up Guardian or if you would like to become a Speaking Up Champion email rf-tr.speakingup.nhs.net. You can also call Jill or Aisha on MS Teams. You can find more information by typing ‘speaking’ into Freenet.
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