New resources launched from National Guardian's Office

The National Guardian's Office has launched two new resources to further support and define the speaking up process in NHS organisations. 

The NHS standard contract requires every NHS provider organisation and organisations contracted by the NHS to have one or more Freedom to Speak Up guardians. They play a pivotal role in promoting a culture which embeds openness, transparency and accountability, as well as supporting those who do speak up.

The experiences of individuals speaking up will differ, but those who are trained overseas may encounter barriers that others wouldn’t. The newly published review of speaking up experiences of overseas trained workers highlights the unique challenges and offers practical steps employers can take to reduce barriers. 

The National Guardian’s Office has also created a framework to support best practice in the hiring and deployment of Freedom to Speak Up guardians. 

This document provides an overview of the role of a guardian, the principles of Freedom to Speak Up and how to recruit and embed guardians in an organisation. It includes four job descriptions that will help you draft a job description for your organisation, which should be read in conjunction with the guardian role specification.

You can access the full framework and other resources on the National Guardian’s Office website.