Chief Executive, Brendan Brown, reiterated last week that all colleagues should feel supported to speak up about concerns over patient or staff safety.

Here's an extract from his message last Friday:

"Speaking up, wherever you work and whatever role that may be, is 100% the right thing to do. We know we don’t always get it right, but if you have a concern about patient or colleague safety, please do talk to someone.

"It might be your own manager or a manager from another area, or a member of the Executive Team. You may feel comfortable talking through it with another colleague. Or in absolute confidence you can also contact our Freedom to Speak Up Guardian, Andrea Gillespie.

"However you do it, the first step is to talk to someone. Patients and their families, or indeed your own friends and family, may also want to talk to you about the Lucy Letby case which may be difficult for you.

"Please remember that we do have wellbeing support on offer – so if you need personal support at any point, you can also drop a line to: wellbeing@cht.nhs.uk"

The national media is being dominated by the trial of Lucy Letby, which has been an extremely shocking case.

It is possible that people may want to talk about this with you and these conversations could be difficult.

If you have been affected by this and would like some support, please contact our Wellbeing Team or our 24/7 provide of support, CareFirst. All our Wellbeing Support can be found on the intranet.

Remember, if you ever have any concerns over patient or colleague safety, then do talk to your line manager or one of our Freedom to Speak Up Ambassadors. You can also raise concerns through our Freedom to Speak Up Portal.