National Guardian’s Office: Annual Report April 2024 – March 2025

Summary

The National Guardian’s Office leads, trains and supports a network of Freedom to Speak Up guardians in England. There are more than 1,200 guardians in NHS and independent sector organisations, hospices and national bodies who provide an additional way for workers to speak up when they feel that they are unable to in other ways. The National Guardian’s Office conducts Speak Up reviews to identify learning and support improvement needs for the speaking up culture of the healthcare sector.

This Annual Report is the seventh from the National Guardian’s Office, which is required to be laid before Parliament as a commitment made by the Government’s response to the Gosport Independent Panel: “To further increase transparency, accountability and to promote culture change, the Government has requested the National Guardian to produce an annual report to be laid before Parliament.”