At Farleigh, creating a culture where everyone feels safe to speak up is vital – and this is where Nina Smaller comes in.
Appointed at the beginning of 2025, Nina is our Freedom to Speak Up Guardian, a role dedicated to ensuring all voices can be heard and concerns raised in confidence.
With a background in biomedical science and corporate experience, Nina brings both professional insight and personal warmth to this important role.
What is a Freedom to Speak Up Guardian?
Nina describes her role as “supporting all Farleigh staff to ensure they feel heard, and if they have any concerns, providing a listening ear to make sure those concerns are acknowledged.”
While the primary focus is patient safety, she recognises that organisational concerns often have broader effects. “If there are concerns within the organisation that don’t directly involve patients, it’s likely those issues have, in some way, trickled down to impact patient care,” she explains.
Fundamentally, the role is about fostering “a culture that doesn’t just reward speaking up, but truly values and encourages it.” This is especially vital in a hospice setting, where safety and trust are paramount. Nina emphasises the importance of building an organisation-wide culture of trust and support to achieve this.
Nina says, “It’s not just a one off conversation and then it’s over. It’s about building trust over time, so you feel comfortable speaking up and confident that you’re being supported.”
While Nina cannot investigate concerns herself, she provides crucial support.
“I can help listen to the concerns and make sure that it’s being raised in the way that it should,” she explains. “Anything that is discussed remains anonymous and confidential, and it’s my role to make sure you feel supported.”
Having grown up around Chelmsford, Nina has always been aware of Farleigh’s prescence in the community, as well as living close to our Moulsham Street Store.
Her background in biomedical science and corporate experience gave her the foundation to understand clinical governance, leading to her appointment as a trustee before taking on the Freedom to Speak Up Guardian role.
Despite being relatively new to the role, Nina has already gained valuable insights.
Her visits to different teams, including her recent visit to North Court Road, have reinforced her belief in Farleigh’s mission.
“It really showed how much the people at Farleigh care – not just about their patients, but about Farleigh as a whole – and how much they want to make it the best place to work.”
Outside of her work, Nina is a keen runner with aspirations to complete a marathon one day – possibly for Farleigh! She also enjoys long walks, particularly appreciating the beautiful green spaces Essex has to offer.
“To be able to support Farleigh’s work in any way is such a privilege,” she reflects. “The staff here really are the bread and butter of Farleigh, and they’re the reason that it’s the organisation it is.”
Nina’s approach to the Freedom to Speak Up Guardian role perfectly embodies our values of care, support, and putting people first.
For more information on Farleigh’s Trustees, click here.