NCL ICB would like to thank James Avery, who completed his appointment as interim Freedom to Speak Up Guardian (FTSU) for NCL primary care in May 2026.

During his time in the role, James provided valuable support to colleagues across primary care and played an important part in promoting a positive and inclusive speaking up culture. The ICB  is grateful for his contribution to the FTSU team and wish him all the best for the future.

The FTSU and WRES/EDI team are working with the ICB to develop a long-term plan for the FTSU service. In the meantime, primary care practices can continue to access support through the team of Freedom to Speak Up Guardians in North West London (NWL).

To ensure staff have access to the correct contact information, practices are asked to update any FTSU posters currently displaying James Avery's details and replace them with: NWL.SpeakUpGuardian@nhs.net.

The NWL team of guardians will continue to provide the same level of confidential support and guidance, and we encourage colleagues to continue using the service whenever they need advice or wish to raise concerns.

Visit the FSTU webpages where you can access the policy, poster, self-assessment and many more useful resources.

For any other information, contact the FTSU team at nclicb.ftsu@nhs.net.