Introduction Purpose

This document provides guidance for nurses,
midwives and nursing associates on raising
concerns. It explains the processes you should
follow when raising a concern, provides
information about the legislation in the area, and
tells you where you can get confidential support
and advice.
A systematic literature review commissioned by
the Council of Deans of Health of the evidence
relating to nursing, midwifery and allied health
profession students raising concerns about poor
clinical practice or care revealed a lack of
guidance for students on how to escalate a
concern.
 The aim of this guidance is to describe the
process for dealing with instances of poor care
witnessed by nursing or midwifery students while
Aim And Scope on practice. Poor care in this context refers to
situations in which care is perceived to be
inadequate.
 • Care and Support Statutory Guidance
• Your role in raising concerns
• Nursing and midwifery students
• The difference between raising a concern and
making a complaint
•
Learning Respecting an individual’s right to
confidentiality
objectives •
•
How do I raise a concern?
Raising your concern with the NMC
• Raising your concern externally
• Role of clinical leaders
• Role of employers
 •
Care and Support Domestic violence
• Physical Abuse
Statutory Guidance: • Sexual abuse
Issued by the • Psychological abuse
Department of • Financial or material abuse
• Modern slavery
Health under the • Discriminatory abuse
Care Act 2014 • Organizational abuse
• Neglect and acts of omission
 Raise your concerns immediately if you are being asked to practice beyond your
Raise role, experience and training.

Role Of Act without delay if you believe that there is a risk to patient safety or public
Act
Code In protection.

Raising
Concerns: Acknowledge Acknowledge and act on all concerns raised to you, investigating, escalating or
dealing with those concerns where it is appropriate for you to do so.

Protect anyone you have management responsibility for from any harm,
Protect detriment or unwarranted treatment after a concern is raised.
Nursing And Midwifery Students
• Inform your mentor, tutor or lecturer immediately
if you believe that you, a colleague or anyone else
may be putting someone at risk of harm.
• Seek help immediately from an appropriately
qualified professional if someone you are providing
care for has suffered harm for any reason.
• Seek help from your mentor, tutor or lecturer if
people indicate that they are unhappy about their
care or treatment.
 • The Code states that people in your care have
the right to confidentiality and the right to
expect that you only use the information they
Respecting An have given to you for the purpose for which it
was given.
Individual’s • You should only discuss information with
Right to someone outside of the healthcare team if the
person in your care has agreed you can.
Confidentiality • These decisions are complex and you must
assess each case individually. Before reporting a
concern which might reveal someone’s identity,
you should get advice.
 Differences

Raising Concern complaint

If you are raising a concern, you are worried generally about an issue,
if you are making a complaint to your employer, you are complaining
wrongdoing or risk which affects others. You are acting as a witness to
about how you personally have been treated at work (such as
what you have observed, or to risks that have been reported to you,
conditions of employment). In these circumstances, you should follow
and are taking steps to draw attention to a situation which could
your employer’s complaints or grievance procedure.
negatively affect those in your care, staff or the organisation.
 How Do Raise A Concern

Raising your concern Raising your concern

with your line manager with a designated person

Taking your concern to a

Taking your concern to a
regulatory organisation
higher level
or a helpline
 • This website dedicated to whistleblowing
Raising www.nmc.org.uk/whistleblowing.
your concern
• If someone wish to raise a concern with NMC
with the NMC directly, please use our dedicated email
address, whistleblowing@nmc-uk.org, and
phone on 020 7637 7181.
 Externally Concern

Consider externally concern

Before raising your concern
(media or an MP) if you have
Without clear evidence of externally, you should always
allready tried with your line
first raising the concern get advice from your
manager, designated person,
internally. professional body or trade
NMC and your concern hasn’t
union.
been dealt with properly.
 If you are a clinical leader or hold a position where others
may bring their concerns to you, you should do the
following:
• Make sure appropriate systems for raising concerns are
The Role Of in place and that all staff can access them.
• Make sure staff can see all concerns are taken seriously,
Clinical even if they are later seen to be unfounded.
• Investigate concerns promptly and include a full and
Leaders objective assessment.
• Take action to deal with the concern and, record and
monitor this action.
• Make sure staff who raise concerns are protected from
unjustified criticism or actions.
 The Role Of Employers
• NHS Employers supports NHS organisations to encourage openness at
work so all staff can feel free to raise concerns.
• NHS Employers helps staff member to put in place and develop
policies and procedures that are targeted at helping NHS staff to
report concerns about patient safety.
 • The Public Interest Disclosure Act (1998) was
introduced to protect people who raise genuine
What concerns.
• Section 17 of the Enterprise and Regulatory
legislation is in Reform Act 2013 makes it clear that
whistleblowing must be ‘in the public interest.
place to • From 6 April 2015 whistleblower protection
protect? was extended to students on an NMC-approved
training course if they make a ‘qualifying
disclosure’ to us.
 How To Complaint
If you are unhappy with care or treatment you have received you have
the right to: −
By email, letter or by phone
If you make a complaint by phone or in person, the service should
give you a written copy of your complaint.
 REFRENCES

• https://www.nmc.org.uk/globalassets/blocks/media-
block/raising-concerns-v2.pdf
• https://www.cqc.org.uk/sites/default/files/20171128_664
2_cqc_how_to_complain_leaflet_final_web.pdf
• https://www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/media/4163133/national_rai
sing_concerns_document_with_leaflet_2018.pdf
THANK YOU