Universal Job Description

We describe the job description as being universal because the principles can apply to a Freedom to Speak Up Guardian role in any organisation.

Freedom to Speak Up Guardians are appointed by their organisation following a fair and open appointment process. They need sufficient time to carry out both the reactive and proactive elements of the job.

Freedom to Speak Up Guardians help:

• Protect patient safety and the quality of care
• Improve the experience of workers
• Promote learning and improvement.

They do this by ensuring that:

• Workers are supported in speaking up
• Barriers to speaking up are addressed
• The organisation encourages a positive culture of speaking
• Matters raised are used as opportunities for learning and improvement.

The Freedom to Speak Up Guardian role is independent, but it is not isolated. To be a guardian requires strong partnership working at all levels within the organisation to identify appropriate contacts and escalation routes as sources of support for anything that might be spoken up about.