Freedom to Speak Up Guardian

Job Description

Marie Curie is the UK's leading palliative and end-of-life care charity. We are the largest non-NHS provider of palliative and end-of-life care in the UK, and the only provider across all 4 nations. We specialise in the provision of UK wide community nursing and hospice care, both inpatient and outpatient, whilst providing information and support on all aspects of terminal illness, dying, death, and bereavement. Our leading research pushes the boundaries of what we know about good end-of-life, and our campaigns fight for a world where everyone gets to have the best possible quality of life while living with an illness, they're likely to die from.

This a a part-time role, approx. 21 hours per week, flexible with days.

This pivotal role is responsible for ensuring that all staff, volunteers, contractors, students, and agency workers feel empowered to raise concerns and share their thoughts in a supportive environment. As a senior manager, you will be instrumental in shaping policy, strategy, and culture to drive positive change, enhance communication, and promote a safe and inclusive workplace.

In this role, you will engage with internal and external stakeholders to implement best practices, analyse FTSU data, and contribute to the continuous improvement of our organizational culture. You will also provide strategic advice to the Executive Team and Board, helping to align FTSU initiatives with our broader quality, safety, and patient care goals. Your work will ensure that insights gathered from FTSU activities are used to influence decision-making, improve operational performance, and promote a compassionate workplace culture that enhances the experience of everyone affected by dying, death, and bereavement.

The FTSU Guardian will work within the central Nursing and Quality Team as a hybrid worker, providing visible engagement within Marie Curie services and departments. You will have excellent communication and influencing skills and the ability to develop and lead the implementation of FTSU policy and strategy

This is an opportunity to make a tangible impact by fostering a transparent and respectful environment, collaborating across teams, and helping to shape the future of our charity. If you are ready to take on a leadership role with real influence and purpose, we'd love to hear from you.

This will be a hybrid role with presence at our London office and travel to other Marie Curie sites monthly.

Role responsibilities

• Develop and lead a comprehensive FTSU annual work plan to ensure that within the organisation, staff are supported in speaking up, barriers to speaking up are addressed, a positive culture of speaking up is fostered and issues (including external national developments) raised are used as opportunities for learning and improvement.
• Responsible for the development, implementation and maintenance of the organisations FTSU policy and process to protect patient safety and the quality of care, the experience of workers and promote learning and improvement
• Develop an organisation department wide improvement plan against FTSU policy, measuring improvements and celebrating success.
• Ensure that risks identified during FTSU processes are escalated in a timely and proportionate manner, ensuring that the safety of patients, those important to them, staff and volunteers is paramount.
• Ensure processes are in place for the internal recording of FTSU cases, with confidentiality being respected as appropriate, in line with national and local information governance guidelines
• Analyse FTSU data with other intelligence on patient safety, service quality, and staff experience to inform organisational learning and development.
• Develop a communications strategy for FTSU, measuring its effectiveness, to raise the profile and importance and ensure the role of the Guardian and FTSU Champions is regularly communicated across the organisation.
• Lead a network of FTSU Champions to ensure that FTSU reaches all parts of the organisation, and all staff have access to someone who can advise and support them with FTSU concerns.
• Act as the principal advisor on FTSU for the organisation, ensuring own skills and knowledge of national guidance is up to date and maintained, including keeping up to date with National Guardian Office training requirements, keeping abreast of and implementing national guidance, and taking part in other activities such as webinars and conferences
• Operate independently, impartially and objectively, on all matters relating to FTSU whilst working in partnership with individuals and groups throughout Marie Curie, including the Executive Leadership Team
• Ensure that staff who speak up are supported and treated fairly, and instances of detriment suffered by staff as a consequence of speaking up are identified and escalated.
• Provide confidential and impartial advice and support to people who speak up, escalating concerns where appropriate. Be party to highly confidential information and use complex communication skills.
• Develop strong and open working relationships with the CEO, and other Executive Directors, with direct access to senior leaders as required.
• Ensure the Board is sighted on, and engaged in, all FTSU matters and issues that are raised.

  What's in it for you:

  • Full time equivalent salary between £43,000 - £50,000 per annum (to be pro rata to 21 hours per week)
  • Annual leave allowance 25 days plus 8 public holidays (pro rata)
  • Competitive Policy for parental/sick Leave
  • Continuous Professional development
  • Industry leading training programmes
  • Season ticket loan for travelling to and from work
  • Defined contribution schemes for Pension
  • Marie Curie Group Personal Pension Scheme
  • Loan schemes for bikes; computers and satellite navigation systems
  • Introduce a friend scheme
  • Help with childcare cost (T & C's apply)
  • Entitled to Marie Curie Blue Light Card
  • Entitled to Benefit-Hub Discount Scheme
  • Life assurance - for all employees