Jane Butcher

Jane Butcher is the Freedom to Speak Up [FTSU] Guardian at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT).

Jane began her NHS career as an Admin Assistant at Burnley General Teaching Hospital. She has continued working for the NHS extensively in Burnley, Blackburn and Rossendale for over two decades. Her last role prior to FTSU Guardian was as Medical Staffing Manager at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust.

This independent role has been recognised as being essential to the Trust, as has Jane’s longstanding relationship with the unions. Staff see Jane as approachable and because she has a ‘direct line’ to the Executive Team including the Chief Executive, they are confident their concerns will be escalated appropriately, and quickly.

The Trust employs 7,000 staff across five main hospitals [Blackburn, Burnley, Clitheroe, Accrington and Pendle] and various other community sites in the North West. The trust treats over 600,000 patients per year.

“I’ve had a wonderful career and worked with some fantastic people over the years,” says Jane. “Staff are the NHS’s greatest asset and to be given this opportunity to develop the important role of Staff Guardian is a great honour.”

In 2015, ELHT became only the 3rd NHS Trust in the country to appoint the influential Staff Guardian position, following recommendations by Sir Robert Francis in his review and subsequent report into Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.