Dear colleague,

Today we launch our consultation for the new role of a National Guardian. This will be the first NHS National Guardian and they will be responsible for leading local ambassadors across the country so that staff feel safe to raise concerns and confident that they will be heard.  
 
We will work closely with other bodies including Monitor, the NHS Trust Development Authority and NHS England to support this role.
 
We want to hear your thoughts on the best way to establish and ensure the independence of this role and how the responsibility will lie within our organisation.
 
The need for an independent National Guardian for the NHS was highlighted in Sir Robert Francis' ‘Freedom to Speak Up’ review in February, which found that patients could be put at risk of harm because vital information about mistakes and concerns were not being raised by NHS staff routinely – the review found that reporting systems were either insufficient or not used or because healthcare professionals did not feel able to.
 
The creation of the National Guardian was one of the key recommendations from this review. The Secretary of State for Health confirmed in July that we should host the role.

This role is incredibly important to our work and the sector's work, and we welcome all your feedback. You can read more about this role and provide us with your comments here. 

Yours sincerely
 

Engagement Directorate
Care Quality Commission