This is your repository for information about the Freedom To Speak Up service for general practice in North East London. It includes information about the service, how to speak up, contact details for the Guardian, and resources for practices to advertise the service to their staff.
NHS NEL has commissioned an independent Freedom To Speak Up Service for general practice.
The service is free to use for anyone employed or engaged in work within a GP practice or PCN across North East London integrated care system.
The service is there to support anyone who wishes to raise any issue, concern, or other matter and needs support to do so, or feels they cannot do so using an existing route (eg raising directly with a line manager, a practice manager or someone else within the practice).
Guardians will listen and help someone determine how best to have the issue addressed. They can also raise a matter in confidence to an appropriate person if someone feels unable to do this themselves.
Guardians will always act independently and impartially. If you wish your identity to be kept in confidence they will do so whenever they can.
The service will be provided by The Guardian Service who are independent specialists in speaking up.
Freedom to Speak up Policy
We use the national freedom to speak up policy template, adapted for NHS North East London.
This policy will be reviewed periodically and updated where necessary.
Information about the service
The service does not replace any existing arrangements within each practice, and the first port of call when there is an issue is to speak to your manager or a responsible person within the practice.
But if you don’t feel able to raise a concern through that route or you are not sure what to do, then you can approach the dedicated Freedom to Speak Up Guardian service.
The service is available to anyone employed or engaged in work within general practice across the North east London Integrated Care System.
The service is available 24/7/365.
To contact the Guardian by phone: 0333 733 6551
To contact the Guardian by email: contact@theguardianservice.co.uk
The Guardian Service website – https://www.theguardianservice.co.uk/
The Guardians – https://www.theguardianservice.co.uk/team/
Resources for practices
These resources are for practices to display in their staff areas of the practice.
For printing
A6 leaflet (double sided)
For digital display
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Page last reviewed: 17 June 2025