National Guardian’s Office Case Review

The National Guardian’s Office (NGO) was established in 2016 to support Freedom to Speak Up in NHS trusts. It also reviews instances where there is evidence a trust may need to improve its support for speaking up.

A pilot of this review process was launched in June 2017.  The NGO is working with Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust to review how it handles speaking up and concerns raised by people who work there.  It will do this with reference to the recommendations of Sir Robert Francis’ Freedom to Speak Up Review (February 2016).

The National Guardian, Dr Henrietta Hughes, said:  “I am delighted that Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust will be working cooperatively with my team to identify areas for improvement in speaking up.  We believe this will provide lessons all NHS organisations can learn from.  Working together is a positive step in embedding the open and transparent culture we all wish to see where speaking up is business as usual.”

Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust Interim Chief Executive  Karen Jackson said:  “A range of concerns have been raised in recent years at Southport and Ormskirk.  I am pleased to be able to work with the National Guardian’s Office to review how speaking up is, and has been, handled within the trust.  It is important that we use the learning from this review to ensure that speaking up is seen as a way to make improvements for our staff and for our patients”.