Freedom to Speak Up

NHS England aims to ensure everyone working within the NHS feels safe and confident to speak up. We encourage our NHS leaders to take the opportunity to learn and improve from those who speak up.

We want everyone working in the NHS to feel safe and confident to speak up and all NHS leaders to welcome this opportunity to learn and improve.

We seek to improve the quality of speaking up arrangements across the NHS in a number of ways.

  • Firstly, we evaluate concerns raised by people working within the NHS about the way NHS organisations operate; their cultures and the quality of care they provide.
  • Secondly, we provide a scheme for people that require support after they have spoken up.
  • Finally, we use staff experiences; learning from the handling of speak up matters and best practice to form the basis of policy, guidance and resources. These further support leadership teams to improve operational arrangements around Freedom to Speak Up.