Design
We help create proportionate FTSU systems, policies and pathways that are clear, accessible and trusted.
Bespoke Freedom to Speak Up Guardian and consultancy services
Helping people speak up, and organisations listen well.
We support health, care, education and charitable organisations to build trusted Freedom to Speak Up arrangements that improve culture, strengthen learning and prevent harm.
Culture indicator
Speaking up works when people feel safe, heard and confident that learning will follow.
Independent perspective
Experienced leaders bringing rigour, sensitivity and credibility.
Practical pathways
Clear systems, confident guardianship and board-level assurance.
Human outcomes
Cultures that listen, learn and act before issues escalate.
What we do
Bespoke support for healthier speaking up cultures.
Speak Up - Be Heard provides independent Freedom to Speak Up Guardian and consultancy services shaped around your organisation, workforce and risk profile.
Our work is grounded in the principles introduced by Sir Robert Francis in 2015: people should be able to speak up safely, organisations should listen with curiosity, and concerns should lead to learning, improvement and better outcomes for the people they serve.
Embed
We support leaders, guardians and teams to make speaking up part of everyday culture, governance and improvement.
Assure
We bring independent rigour to reviews, investigations, board reporting and CQC preparedness.
Why it matters
When people are heard early, organisations can act before harm occurs.
A healthy speaking up culture is not a compliance exercise. It is a practical safeguard for patients, service users, staff and communities. It gives people confidence to raise concerns, gives leaders better intelligence, and creates the conditions for learning instead of silence.
Services and packages
Tailored consultancy, guardianship and assurance.
Every organisation has different pressures, maturity and capacity. We shape our support around what will make the greatest difference.
Independent investigations
Sensitive, robust investigations following Freedom to Speak Up inquiries, with clear findings and practical recommendations.
Independent Guardian services
External FTSU Guardian provision for organisations needing independence, resilience or specialist experience.
Culture development
Support to develop, strengthen and embed your speaking up arrangements across teams and leadership structures.
Listening and learning events
Facilitated spaces that help organisations hear experience, understand themes and turn insight into action.
Board and senior leader support
Knowledge sessions, assurance conversations and reporting support for executive teams and boards.
CQC preparedness
Practical review and readiness support so leaders can evidence effective speaking up arrangements.
Who we support
Built for complex, caring organisations.
Health providers
Social care organisations
Education settings
Charitable sectors
Hospices
Contracted NHS services
Small organisations needing proportionate, independent support
About the founders
Senior experience, independent judgement and a deeply human approach.
Sarah Baker
Director and senior health and care leader
Sarah is an executive-level health and social care leader with extensive clinical and leadership experience. Her background spans early years, the integration of health and education, and former Board Lead responsibility for Freedom to Speak Up.
Denise Matthams
Director and independent FTSU Guardian
Denise is a clinical leader with board-level experience across commissioning, acute and community providers and charitable sectors. Her work brings together leadership, governance and frontline understanding, shaped by experience as a school governor and independent Freedom to Speak Up Guardian.
More than whistleblowing
Freedom to Speak Up is about prevention, learning and trust.
Psychological safety
Early resolution
Improvement and learning
Prevention of harm
Whistleblowing may be part of the picture, but a mature speaking up culture reaches much further. It helps people raise ideas, concerns, risks and experiences before they become entrenched, giving organisations the opportunity to respond with openness and purpose.
Start the conversation
Need independent FTSU support or a fresh view of your speaking up culture?
Contact Denise and Sarah for an informal discussion about the right support for your organisation.