At a Glance:
- St Andrew’s Healthcare in Benfleet reinforces its Speak Up commitment during National Speak Up Week (13–17 October).
- 17 new Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) ambassadors and 8 FTSU Guardians appointed.
- Initiative aims to ensure all staff feel safe and supported when raising concerns.
- Charity aligns its campaign with national theme: “Follow Up”.
- Founded nearly 200 years ago, St Andrew’s specialises in complex mental health care.
A national mental health charity, located in Essex, which supports some of the most vulnerable people in society, is reinforcing its commitment to creating a workplace culture for its nurses where speaking up is “safe, valued, and leads to meaningful change”.
St Andrew’s Healthcare, located in Benfleet, has made this pledge to coincide with National Speak Up Week (Monday, October 13 to Friday, October 17) – a campaign originally led by independent body, the National Guardian’s Office (NGO).
It is part of a wider campaign the charity has launched, centred around its Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) Guardians, to ensure all staff understand the importance of reporting issues, to help improve patient care standards.
Front-line staff have received enhanced training on best practice, care standards, and how to foster a culture of openness and accountability. In addition to the eight FTSU Guardians, a total of 17 FTSU ambassadors have been recruited and will receive intensive upskilling so they can confidently triage any reports given to them.
Together, they have been promoting the programme across the entire charity, proactively visiting wards and teams to make everyone aware of the confidential initiative. Posters and visual aids have been placed strategically across the sites and a robust feedback process has been created to ensure complainants receive timely feedback about what action was taken.
Angela Shaw, Associate Director of Patient Safety and FTSU Lead, said:
“We’ve been working very hard across the charity to ensure everyone understands that speaking up isn’t the end of the conversation – it’s where real change begins. We’re creating a workplace culture where speaking up is safe, valued, and leads to meaningful change.
“This year’s national theme is Follow Up, and as a charity we’ve been turning words into action, making sure that every concern raised is heard, acted upon, and followed through. Following up is how we build trust, demonstrate accountability, and bring our CARE values – Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence – to life. It’s how colleagues see their voices translated into change and how we strengthen the safe and open culture we’ve been building together.”
St Andrew’s Healthcare, which is nearly 200 years old, specialises in complex mental health care and works in partnership with the NHS and other organisations.
Dr Vivienne McVey, Chief Executive of St Andrew’s Healthcare, added:
“Creating a culture where speaking up is safe, valued, and acted upon is not optional – it’s essential. Our Speak Up programme empowers every member of staff to raise concerns confidently, knowing their voice will be heard. We are committed to listening, following up, and continuously improving the care we provide.
“We’ve worked hard to actively encourage staff to speak up, and we’ve also benefited from guidance provided by Helené Donnelly OBE, a pioneer of the NHS Freedom to Speak Up Guardian role. Her support has been invaluable. We are building a culture where every voice matters, and where raising concerns is seen as a courageous act of care. Our Speak Up programme is central to that transformation.”
Established in 2016, the NGO was set up to promote a culture where NHS and healthcare workers felt safe and supported to raise concerns about care without fear of retaliation.
The office led on training and supporting a network of FTSU Guardians in England, regularly conducting speaking up reviews to identify learning and improvement of the speaking up culture across the healthcare sector.
There are more than 1,200 guardians across the NHS and independent sector organisations, national bodies and elsewhere that ensure workers can speak up about any issues impacting on their ability to do their job.