Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, and Essex. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.
The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.
Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video
Job overview
Are you passionate about creating a working environment where staff feel safe, supported and able to speak up? We are pleased to invite applications for a Freedom to Speak Up Guardian on a 12-month fixed-term contract at Band 8a, open to internal candidates only.
The Freedom to Speak Up Guardian role was established nationally following the Francis Review, to ensure NHS staff have access to a safe, confidential and independent route to raise concerns about patient safety, quality, dignity, behaviour and workplace culture. The role is central to fostering psychological safety, trust and openness, and ensuring staff voices are heard, respected and responded to with compassion and fairness.
Main duties of the job
Key Responsibilities
• Provide confidential advice, support and understanding to staff who choose to speak up.
• Help staff understand the boundaries of the Freedom to Speak Up role and signpost appropriately.
• Maintain independence by supporting rather than investigating concerns.
• Work closely with senior leaders across the Trust.
• Use Freedom to Speak Up data to identify themes and learning.
• Produce clear, accessible reports focusing on staff experience.
Working for our organisation
Our Values 2025 - 2030
Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co-produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT.
They are:
1. We are kind.
2. We are respectful.
3. We work together with our communities.
These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.
Probationary Period
This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).
High Cost Area Supplement – Outer London (B&D, Redbridge, Havering and Waltham Forest)
This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,714 to a maximum of £5,941 per annum (pro rata for part time).
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The Freedom to Speak Up Guardian acts as an independent and impartial point of contact for staff who are considering raising a concern. The post holder provides confidential support, helping staff to clarify concerns, understand available options and navigate the most appropriate routes to raise issues safely.
We are looking for someone with a clinical background who has led teams and understands first hand the complexities of navigating through a large NHS Trust.
At NELFT, our values guide how we care for one another as well as the communities we serve. As Freedom to Speak Up Guardian, you will help bring our values of being kind, being respectful and working together with our communities to life by ensuring staff feel listened to, supported and treated with dignity when they raise concerns. By creating safe and compassionate spaces to speak up, you will play a vital role in strengthening trust, inclusion and psychological safety across the Trust.
Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role and working at North East London NHS Foundation Trust. We encourage you to refer to this when completing your application.
We welcome your application even if you do not meet all the criteria listed in the person specification. Please apply as soon as possible as some posts close early to limit the number of applications.
Certificates of Sponsorship
Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points-based system. When calculating the basic salary for sponsorship, HCAS (High-Cost Area Supplement) is not included to ensure fairness and consistency within our Trust.
Use of AI
Please see attached document regarding acceptable use of AI during the recruitment process.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
4. Post Graduate qualification or equivalent in clinical discipline
5. Evidence of continuing professional development and specialist knowledge or experience.
Desirable criteria
6. Experienced Freedom to Speak Up Guardian*
7. Evidence of continuous professional development, particularly - FTSU, including the National Guardian’s Office training -coaching qualification and / or mediation training -project management
Experience
Essential criteria
8. Experience of leading a team in NELFT
9. High level of knowledge and expertise about the FTSU agenda / process and barriers to Speaking Up, Listening Up, Following Up
10. A demonstrable track record of supporting and listening to colleagues and providing impartial advice in difficult work-related situations
11. Ability to work with a range of stakeholders, especially those responsible for patient safety and patient and colleague experience, to ensure lessons are learnt, themes identified and necessary changes are made
12. Experience of developing and reviewing cross organisational policies or initiatives
13. Ability to evaluate and analyse highly complex and sensitive information
14. Experience of planning, preparing and delivering training, presentations or highly complex, sensitive or contentious information to gain co-operation and commitment from large and diverse colleagues or stakeholders, including the Trust Board
15. Experience of reporting and making authoritative recommendations based on highly complex information
16. Management of highly confidential matters
17. A developed understanding of the framework, policies and practical application of key processes relevant to the role, including: the Francis report, whistleblowing, incident reporting, bullying and harassment
Desirable criteria
18. Substantial NHS Experience across different organisations working with stakeholders at all levels
Knowledge
Essential criteria
19. An awareness of NHS priorities
20. Knowledge and understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion legislation and guidance
21. Knowledge and understanding of the principles of Data Protection, Confidentiality and good governance
22. Knowledge and substantial experience of office IT applications including Word, Excel and Powerpoint
Desirable criteria
23. Knowledge of internal and external sources of support to signposting individuals for guidance and support
24. Knowledge of Trust policies and processes disciplinary, grievance and attendance management
Skills
Essential criteria
25. Strong motivation to work in the field of raising concerns, speaking up and to drive continuous improvement
26. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to develop strong relationships with stakeholders, break down cross organisation barriers
27. Ability to maintain impartiality / independence within difficult and conflicting situations
28. Ability to write and present clearly, making information accessible to a wide audience
29. Ability to receive and communicate highly sensitive, confidential and sometimes contentious information required for highly emotive subjects sexual safety, racism, discrimination etc.
30. Sound analytical and judgement skills including making decisions on appropriate approaches to sensitive or complex issues
31. Commitment to creating an open, transparent, inclusive culture and sensitively challenge colleagues to address poor practice in relation to Speaking Up, Listening Up, Following Up, discrimination and inequalities
32. Ability to manage Ability to assess communication needs / materials / resources needed, quantities and scope to provide value for moneyfinancial budget / resources and adjust accordingly
33. Ability to follow up, challenge and escalate issues as necessary to ensure concerns are heard, addressed to a point of resolution and understand the potential implications
34. Ability to challenge and hold senior colleagues to account to create a positive Speaking Up culture
35. Motivating, influencing and negotiating skills with proven experience of success at leading change
36. Problem solving skills and ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands
37. Ability to manage own workload make informed decisions, prioritise conflicting demands, work independently to tight and often changing timescales and demands
38. Ability to maintain accurate and confidential electronic records and produce information in appropriate formats as needed
39. Negotiating and influencing skills, overcoming barriers to understanding and acceptance and reaching agreements
40. working with and the ability to influence a wide range of individuals at Senior Manager/Director/CEO level and externally in the wider healthcare system
41. Ability to gather and interpret data to identify the best way forward and to measure the effectiveness and impact of the service
Desirable criteria
42. Experience of working in a planning, project or change management environment
43. Track record of improvements to equality, health inequality diversity, and inclusion.
Other
Essential criteria
44. Access to a car / personal transport with ability to travel independently to NELFT sites and beyond nationally as required
45. The role will have an accessible office base and the post holder will be expected to travel across Trust sites as well as work from home
Benefits
We believe in bringing your authentic and best self to work, in order to deliver the best care to our patients. We are committed to supporting our employees holistically. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer at NELFT:
46. A long-standing and award-winning approach to equality and diversity with supportive networks for ethnic minority staff, staff with disabilities or long term/chronic conditions and LGBT staff.
47. A commitment to supporting colleagues to achieve a work life balance, through flexible working opportunities and our effortsto support our working parents and carers. This has resulted in us being recognised as a ‘Top 10 Family Friendly Employer’ from the Working Families Charity.
48. Proactive health and wellbeing support, including access to our employee assistance programme, staff psychological support, individual wellbeing conversations and a network of health and wellbeing ambassadors.
49. Detailed information about our wellbeing and benefits offer can be found in this link.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time hours or another flexible pattern.