Freedom to Speak Up is for everybody

At Chestnut Tree House, care is at the heart of everything we do – from providing specialist care in the hospice or families’ own homes, to offering support for the whole family.

As a values-led organisation, that care extends to our workers, whether they are staff or volunteers, and Chestnut Tree House encourages a supportive ‘Freedom to Speak Up’ culture, where everybody should be able speak up about anything.

This internal ‘Freedom to Speak Up’ support system ensures our values are upheld, which in turn improves the quality of our services and enhances the care we’re able to provide.

Our teams are encouraged to share ideas, seek support, offer feedback, challenge decisions or speak up without fear of repercussions. It means we can ask questions where we might be uncertain and share positive practices that can be cascaded elsewhere in the organisation.

Freedom to Speak Up Guardians are helping to lead changes in the systems, processes and policies in their organisations to ensure that when workers speak up they are heard and the right actions are taken. Their insights can not only protect staff and patients, but also the integrity and reputations of the organisations in which they work.

“Like all hospices, we are Values led,” says Cora Wukovich, Freedom to Speak Up Guardian at Chestnut Tree House and St Barnabas House. “We all have a role to play in creating an open and transparent organisation true to our values – Caring, Connected and Courageous.

“We want to ensure that our service users, colleagues and volunteers are enabled to engage and communicate through various channels. Freedom to Speak Up is one such channel. Through this, we aim to create a safe environment in which our staff and volunteers feel empowered and supported not only to raise concerns, but to put forward thoughts and ideas that will ultimately improve services and enhance patient care.”

You can read more about Freedom to Speak Up in Hospices here.