As we continue to mark Speak Up Month, we caught up with Freedom to Speak Up Guardian Paul Elms to find out more about his role.
“Across Elysium we have 90+ services and more than 8,000 colleagues. It’s essential that everyone feels they have a voice that will be listened to and a voice that counts.
“In my role as Freedom to Speak Up Guardian, which I took with up Elysium 18 months ago, I can help facilitate this. However, there can sometimes be misconceptions about what a Freedom to Speak Up Guardian can or cannot do.
“I have a very distinct role in what I can support people with but, should the query fall outside of my remit, I will of course signpost colleagues to someone who can help with their question or issue.
“If a person does come to me with a concern or an issue, there are no forms for them to fill in. I am here to help people and they can call me, or they can email me. Anything they say to me is in total confidence and I won’t do anything with what they tell me until we have agreed on a way forward
“I am supported by a group of 40+ Freedom to Speak Up Champions across our services. Colleagues can go to them directly and they can then make the decision as to whether the matter needs to be escalated to myself.
“We meet quarterly (virtually!) and work together to help make sure our colleagues know how they can raise concerns and we support on policy and resource development too.
“My background before coming to this role was very varied; I’m a former police officer, have worked as a journalist for the BBC, in the International Criminal Court at the Hague and with NHS Trusts. With the experiences I have had, when I saw the advert, it very much appealed to me.
“I spend about 50% of my time visiting sites, with 90 services, there’s a lot of get round! Every day is different, and it’s very rewarding to know that my work is having a positive impact. I like helping people.”