Our commitment to an open, supportive and transparent culture

At County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, we are committed to fostering an open, supportive, and transparent culture where all colleagues feel empowered to speak up. We believe that every voice matters and that raising concerns is essential to ensuring the highest standards of patient care and creating a positive work environment.

Freedom to Speak Up is a national initiative designed to promote a culture of openness and transparency within the NHS. It encourages all staff members, regardless of their role or seniority, to speak up about any concerns they may have, whether related to patient safety, clinical practices, workplace environment, or other issues. By doing so, we can address problems early, learn from them, and continually improve our services.

How our workforce can speak up 

Any colleague with a concern, is encouraged to speak up as soon as possible. We have several ways to support them with this which include direct reporting to a line manager, an electronic incident reporting system or our Trust Freedom to Speak up Guardian and team of champions.