The quality and safety of the clinical learning environment is essential to positive and productive learning experiences where learners and service users feel safe and supported.
It is important that learners are able to speak up if they feel that things are not right for them, their peers, or service users. These conversations are opportunities for improvement and should be supported and facilitated.
The short film below takes us through the reasons why and how concerns can be raised.
Professional bodies provide their own guidance around how to raise concerns:
ARU have adopted the HEE pathway for Supporting and Escalating Concerns to guide students as to how to raise and escalate concerns.
1. Immediate Clinical Learning Environment:
Concerns should always be raised at a local level in the first instance to suitable individuals:
2. Educator Provider:
If the learner has not received sufficient reassurance or is unable to raise locally, they should approach the HEI/education provider representatives such as:
3. Wider Organisation:
If concerns remain after they have been through pathways 1 and 2, these can be escalated to the following:
This pathway is not intended to replace local Serious Incident reporting.
Concerns in Practice form - to be completed by a practitioner or member of academic staff
If you are a practitioner, please contact your Education Champion/Link Lecturer or university contact for support.
If there are concerns about the professional attitudes or behaviour of a learner, please see our Lapses in Professionalism page.