The awards are the largest and most prestigious healthcare awards in the world and celebrate, recognise and reward the outstanding contributions of staff and organisation to healthcare.
Helené Donnelly and Kath Chambers are Freedom to Speak Up Guardians at MPFT and they lead the Trust’s work to create a supportive, listening culture for staff, including overseeing a team of staff members who volunteer as Culture Change Champions. The champions act as a first port of call for colleagues wishing to raise concerns or seek advice over matters such as unsafe patient care, working conditions or cultures of bullying and can signpost them to the most appropriate channels.
Helené Donnelly, a nurse who was instrumental in Freedom to Speak Up becoming a nationwide initiative said: “We were thrilled that the team was shortlisted for the HSJ Awards and to receive recognition for the work we are doing at MPFT to create a supportive staff culture, where our staff feel able to raise concerns and seek advice.
“It was not only recognition for Kath and I but for our fantastic team of Culture Change Champions who are so passionate about making a difference for their colleagues, and also for MPFT’s leadership team who share our desire to make creating a supportive culture for staff an absolute priority.”
Neil Carr, Chief Executive of MPFT added: “It was a fantastic achievement to have been shortlisted among some really strong competition at the HSJ Awards and it is testament to the work of the Trust’s Freedom to Speak Up team. Empowering our workforce and creating a supportive culture to enable staff to speak up is of vital importance to me.
“The HSJ Awards are one of the largest celebrations of health care excellence in the world, recognising and promoting the finest achievements in the NHS, so to be shortlisted out of over 1,500 entrants was a great honour.”