This month across Elysium we will be marking ‘Speak Up’ Month.
This year’s theme is ‘listen up’ and will focus on the power of listening and encouraging people to feel confident to speak up. Throughout the month, we will be sharing news and blogs highlighting this important issue.
Today we hear from Paul Elms, Elysium’s Group Freedom to Speak Up Guardian on what Freedom to Speak Up is and why it is so important for healthcare providers such as Elysium.
“Speak Up Month is held every October, this year will be its seventh year. It’s an event led by the National Guardian’s Office and it highlights the importance of those working in the health sector having a voice that counts.
“The campaign also aims to raise awareness ‘speaking up’, the role played by, and work of, Freedom to Speak Up Guardians and helping embed speaking up as ‘business as usual’ for everyone.
“This year’s theme is ‘listen up’ and will focus on the power of listening and encouraging people to feel confident to speak up.
“As an organisation, it’s something we take very seriously. As well as myself and my role as Group Freedom to Speak Up Guardian, we have a large, and growing, group of Freedom to Speak Up Champions who are based in our services across Elysium. We have 40+ already and our ambition is to recruit further Champions across our services.
“Throughout the month, as an organisation and at individual services, we will be holding a range of different awareness-raising events including competitions and encouraging people to ‘wear green to work’, as well as using a wide range of resources throughout the month to keep ‘Speak Up’ at the forefront of colleagues’ minds.
“Our Champions wear specific lanyards so colleagues know who can approach if they wish to ‘speak up’, and we hope our month-long campaign of activity in support of Speak Up will further embed the concept across our teams.”