Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) has appointed Barrie Jones, deputy operations officer, as the new Freedom To Speak Up (FTSU) lead guardian.
FTSU guardians work across the NHS to ensure that staff can speak up about any issues or concerns they may have. 
There are now 16 members of the Freedom To Speak Up team at Hampshire Hospitals, which runs hospitals in Andover, Basingstoke, and Winchester, where staff members across clinical and non-clinical roles support their colleagues.
Julie Dawes, chief nurse and executive lead for Freedom To Speak Up guardians at HHFT, said: “We now have a much larger team of Guardians to support the growing number of staff here at HHFT, and I am delighted to welcome Barrie as our lead guardian.
“FTSU guardians are here to help us continuously improve staff experience, which helps us to provide the best possible care to our patients, as we know the two are often connected.
“At Hampshire Hospitals, we want to support our staff to speak up if they have any concerns – big or small - and there are a number of ways to do this. We always strive to make sure our people feel listened to, and any action is taken.”
Barrie Jones, lead guardian said: “I have been a part of Team HHFT for 8 years and am really looking forward to taking on this important role within the trust, where our staff know they are supported every step of the way if they raise a concern.
“We have a brilliant team made up of friendly and approachable staff from across our hospitals, and I am looking forward to working with them and making a difference.”
Alongside his role as lead guardian, Barrie also works as deputy operations director for the family and clinical support services division.
The announcement comes during October, which is Speak Up Month, where Hampshire Hospitals and other NHS organisations have been raising awareness of Freedom to Speak Up and the work which is being done to make speaking up business as usual.
