Freedom to Speak Up Guardian
At a glance
- Band
- Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent
- Pattern
- Part-time
- Hours / week
- 15
- Posted
- 25/08/2026
- Closes
- 07/09/2026
Sponsorship verdict
This contract type is not eligible for Skilled Worker sponsorship.
NHS Trusts cannot issue a Certificate of Sponsorship for part-time, bank, locum, zero-hours, job-share or short fixed-term (under 12 months) contracts under current Home Office rules. This applies even when the wider Trust holds a Skilled Worker licence.
Role summary
This is an exciting opportunity for a Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) Guardian to join the Speaking Up team at Doncaster & Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS FT. The role involves leading and supporting FTSU Champions, ensuring staff can report concerns safely and fostering an open and transparent culture. The Guardian will work with senior leadership to protect patient safety and quality of care by encouraging a listening and learning environment. This part-time post is crucial for implementing the Speaking Up Strategy 2024-2028 and improving colleague experience.
Essential criteria
- Educated to degree level (Level 5) in a relevant subject or equivalent experience
- Requirement to obtain or maintain professional accreditation through annual refresher training. Ongoing registration may also require bespoke and or ad hoc training depending on future national developments.
- Training in wider advanced communication methods.
Desirable criteria
- Coaching Qualification
- Speak Up Level 3 and or Speak Up Champions Training
- Knowledge & Experience
- Significant experience of the Freedom to Speak Up agenda either as a Guardian, Partner or equivalent.
- Track record in supporting and listening to staff and in demonstrating the values of the DBTH Way and The NGO Guardians Values, alongside those of the NHS Constitution in day-to-day practice.
- Demonstrable experience of working with teams and colleagues to positively improve colleague experience.
- Experience of handling difficult situations professionally, setting boundaries and seeking support where necessary.
- Experience of partnership building and relationship management.
- Experience of training and building capability within the workforce.
- Experience of working in collaboration with senior leaders.
- Experience of collating, analysing, interpreting and presenting data to a wide range of stakeholders.
- Experience of facilitating mediation
- Development of training packages
- Supporting and managing groups of colleagues at Network level
- Personal Attributes & Skills
- Emotional intelligence and empathy - strong ability to engage sensitively and impartially with colleagues who may be in distress, fear of retribution, or experiencing workplace conflict.
- Communication and engagement - Highly developed oral and written communication skills, including the ability to present complex and sensitive information to workers, board members, regulators, and external partners in a way that fosters trust and action.
- Collaboration and networking - Ability to engage with national and regional freedom to speak up networks, sharing good practice and driving continuous improvement.
- Conflict resolution - Experience in navigating difficult conversations, resolving conflicts, and facilitating restorative approaches to address concerns.
- Data analysis and reporting - Ability to interpret patterns in speaking up data, triangulate findings with other workforce and patient safety metrics, and use insights to influence organisational policies and decisions.
- Project management and prioritisation - Ability to manage multiple complex cases, competing priorities, and sensitive information while ensuring timely and effective action
- Personal resilience and self-awareness - Ability to manage the emotional demands of the role, develop coping strategies, and maintain personal well-being while supporting others.
- Commitment to learning and development - Willingness to undertake ongoing training in freedom to speak up, National Guardian's Office annual refresher training, self-assessment against the guardian development guide, organisational learning, and psychological safety.
- Responsive and resilient
- Compassionate, approachable, trustworthy, and non-judgmental
- Highly motivated and enthusiastic
- Professional approach and image
- Ability to maintain the confidentiality and security of information.
- Excellent interpersonal skills.
- Leadership and influence - Ability to challenge constructively, hold senior leaders to account, and advocate for cultural transformation.
- Strategic thinking - Ability to analyse complex concerns and themes, provide insightful recommendations, and develop strategic interventions to improve the speaking-up culture.
- Qualifications & Training
- Educated to degree level (Level 5) in a relevant subject or equivalent experience
- Requirement to obtain or maintain professional accreditation through annual refresher training. Ongoing registration may also require bespoke and or ad hoc training depending on future national developments.
- Training in wider advanced communication methods.
- Coaching Qualification
- Speak Up Level 3 and or Speak Up Champions Training
- Knowledge & Experience
- Significant experience of the Freedom to Speak Up agenda either as a Guardian, Partner or equivalent.
- Track record in supporting and listening to staff and in demonstrating the values of the DBTH Way and The NGO Guardia
Useful to know
Agenda for Change 2024/25 pays Band 7 at £46,148 – £52,809 a year, across England.
This advert: £49,387 – £56,515 — outside the standard scale; check for HCAS/London weighting.
Posted 13d ago · Closes in 1d
Applications close soon — apply now if this is a fit.
Full advert · preview
Doncaster & Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS FT
Freedom to Speak Up Guardian
The closing date is 07 September 2026
Job summary
A fantastic opportunity has arisen for a Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) Guardian to join the Speaking Up team at DBTH. This exciting opportunity comes at a time-of-organisational and service development and will allow the ideal candidate to participate in and contribute towards the developing journey of Speaking Up and the wider Culture work across the trust.
Delivering on the Speaking Up Strategy for 2024-2028 will provide the Guardian with exposure to engagement across all teams, from all disciplines and personal characteristics and this work will help to identify groups where specific support is required to address or remove barriers that prevent some people from Speaking Up.
Having a healthy speaking up culture is one of the key priorities in the refreshed Speaking Up Strategy and is recognised as being essential to maintaining high levels of patient and colleague safety and improved quality and experience across all services. Enabling this culture requires Guardians to role model ethical behaviours in line with FTSU Guardian Values, the DBTH We Care Values and the DBTH Way.
The FTSU Guardian will work alongside the Trust Executive and Senior Leadership teams to support the Trust as an open and transparent place to work, where all staff
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