GSL urges bold reform as NHS England consults on the Future of Speak Up

The Guardian Service (GSL), one of the UK’s leading providers of independent Guardian support, has called on NHS England to take a far more ambitious and outcomes‑driven approach to the future of Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU).

In its response to NHS England’s Future of Speaking Up proposals, GSL argues that the changes currently on the table do not go far enough to address the long‑standing cultural, operational, and structural challenges that continue to limit staff confidence in speaking up across the NHS.

Although the closure of the National Guardian’s Office (NGO) presents a unique opportunity to rethink the system, GSL warns that current proposals risk defaulting to “business as usual”—preserving central structures, requirements, and assumptions that have not delivered meaningful improvement in openness or psychological safety.

“Speaking up culture cannot be strengthened through more guidance, bigger networks, or another round of national compliance,” said Russ Parkinson, Director of Strategy and Consultancy Services at GSL.

“The NHS needs a simpler, more credible model—one that prioritises independence, places leadership ownership back where it belongs, and focuses on outcomes, not process.”

Key points from GSL’s response include:

• Independence is essential.
Guardians supported and overseen locally face inevitable credibility challenges—particularly where staff distrust leadership. Impartiality must not be compromised.

• Guardians should be a route, not the route - A healthy speaking-up culture is driven by everyday leadership behaviours, not a parallel structure treated as a catch‑all solution.

• National data collection must avoid recreating misleading metrics - Activity is not impact. Future systems must focus on learning and culture, not case volume.

• Centralised training and large networks have not delivered value - A modern model should be more agile, cost‑effective, and locally relevant.

• National guidance must be rationalised - Less prescription, more clarity of purpose—and far more trust in local leadership.

GSL emphasises that this moment represents a once‑in‑a‑decade opportunity to rebuild Freedom to Speak Up on firmer foundations, grounded in evidence, independence, and genuine cultural change.

“If the NHS wants a culture where staff feel safe to raise concerns, it must remove the illusion that speaking up can be delegated,” Parkinson added.

“We need the courage to redesign—not recycle—the model.”

The full response to NHS England’s engagement on The Future of Speaking Up is now available by clicking on this link.