Speaking Up Safely
The Speaking Up Safely framework was agreed by the Welsh Partnership Forum and launched by Welsh Government in Autumn 2023.
Having effective “Speaking Up Safely” arrangements in place helps to protect patients, the public and the NHS workforce, as well as helping to improve our population’s experience of healthcare. It is essential to ensure that all individuals have a voice, are listened to, and receive a timely and appropriate response.
The framework will support organisations to create that culture; one where individuals feel safe and able to speak up about anything that gets in the way of delivering safe, high-quality care or which negatively affects their experience. This includes, but is not limited to, matters related to patient safety, safe staffing, the quality of care, bullying and harassment (and cultures which enable this), as well as financial malpractice or fraud. To support this, leaders and managers need to be willing to listen, and to be open to constructive challenge. Speaking up and bringing these issues into the open is a brave and vulnerable thing to do, and therefore should be welcomed and seen as an opportunity to listen, learn and improve.
