Health care assistant Cherol Oxford contacted Ask Owen after her Long Service award didn't go according to plan on the original night.

So Cherol highlighted how she felt via the direct line to our Chief Executive and all is now well.

Cherol is just one of nearly 400 colleagues so far who have hit the Ask Owen button (on the right-hand side of the intranet homepage). It was set up in 2015 to give everyone at CHFT a direct line to Owen.

So far the topics raised have ranged from speed bumps, shuttle times, training and pay and hair colour at work.

Owen, said: "Seeing the questions that come in via the Ask Owen button really shines a light for me on what's important to colleagues. I've been both pleased and intrigued by the variety of questions and points raised over the years. And when the CQC last inspected us they highlighted the Ask Owen function as a positive route for colleagues to raise suggestions and concerns.

"I try as much as possible to stand in the shoes of our colleagues to get to the bottom of some of the questions, and whilst it’s not always possible to address every point raised, we try hard to at least give a response whether positive or otherwise. Hopefully colleagues feel their feedback is taken seriously and that Ask Owen forms an important part of our broader approach to improvement across the Trust.

As a final point I’d like to thank Jacqui Booth in communications for all the prompting and support that she gives me in order for Ask Owen to be possible."

Obviously, it's not the only place to raise a concern or get your voice heard. A simple chat with your line manager might sort you query out quickly. But if that's tricky for you there's also our new Freedom to Speak Up network. It's principally there for colleagues to flag if they've seen something that might impact patient safety. See our pages for more information on Freedom to Speak Up. 

There's no need to sit back and worry if something is on your mind, CHFT is here to help. 

The Ask Owen button is on the front of the intranet - or you can get to it here. We publish most of the answers unless really personal - so take a look and see what colleagues have been asking. You can also search on the pages by key word.