Extracts from UKCC Code of Professional Conduct

Each registered nurse, midwife and health visitor shall act at all times, in such a manner as to

- safeguard and promote the interests of individual patients and clients;
- serve the interests of society;
- justify public trust and confidence; and
- uphold and enhance the good standing and reputation of the professions.

As a registered nurse, midwife or health visitor; you are personally accountable for your practice and, in the exercise of your professional accountability, must.

1. act always in such a manner as to promote and safeguard the interests and well-being of patients and clients.

2. ensure that no action or omission on your part, or within your sphere of responsibility, is detrimental to the interests, condition or safety of patients and clients.

11. report to an appropriate person or authority, having regard to the physical, psychological and social effects on patients and clients, and circumstances in the environment of care which could jeopardise standards of practice.

12. report to an appropriate person or authority any circumstances in which safe and appropriate care for patients and clients cannot be provided.

13. report to an appropriate person or authority where it appears that the health or safety of colleagues is at risk, as such circumstances may compromise standards of practice and care.

Letter from UKCC to UNISON re Notice of Unsafe Conditions

Notice of unsafe conditions

Thank you for your email dated 22 April 1998 giving me details of the text of a letter, which you are planning to launch, in relation to notice of unsafe conditions for practice.

I know that some individual trusts have their own forms on which they notify unsafe conditions, where nursing levels fall below acceptable standards and care of patients may have been compromised.

The text of your letter seerns entirely appropriate and I am pleased to see that it does specifically recognise the individual practitioner's accountability. I am sure that your members will fmd this initiative helpful.

I enclose, for your information, a copy of our standard letter, from the professional advice service, giving advice concerning the environment of care.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of any further assistance.

Yours sincerely

Standard letter from the UKCC

Dear Colleague

Concern in Respect of the Environment of Care

Thank you for your letter in which you request advice with respect to many concerns relating to the environnient of care in which you are currently practising. Practitioners are often faced with a dilemma in respect of their concerns with the environment of care. If practitioners express concerns at the situations which obstruct the achievement of satisfactory standards they risk censure from their employers. On the other hand, failure to make concerns known renders practitioners vulnerable to complaint to their regulatory body (the UKCC) for failing to satisfy its standards and places their registration status in jeopardy.

The Code of Professional Conduct makes the point at Clauses 1.2, 11, 12 and 13 that practitioners in the exercise of their personal accountability have a duty to) act and report situations in health care which fall short of promoting and safeguarding the interests of patients.

Practitioners engaged in direct patient and client care should not be deterred from making known their concerns regarding the environment of care simply because they believe that resources are unavailable or that action wIll not result The immediate professionalj manager, who, if registered with the Council also bears a personal professional accountability to whom such information is given, having assessed that information. should ensure that it is communicated to more senior managers.

An essential part in the reporting process is the making of contemporaneous and accurate records demonstrating the potential short falls in the care required by patients and clients. This is important in order, that, should complaints be made about the practitioners involved in delivering care, the immediate and senior managers will be able to confirm that the perceived inadequacies in the environment of care have been drawn to their attention and that records to this effect have been maintained.

The National Health Service Management (England ) has released a document enititled 'Guidance for Staff on Relations with the Public and the Media', which guides health care professionals on how to inform appropriate individuals when they are concerned that the patients are not receiving safe and appropriate care. Reference to this document would be relevant when drawing the attention to the manager to current difficulties.

The Code of Professional Conduct applies to all registered nurses whether they are directly involved in clinical practice or in a managerial post. No practitioner will find support from the UKCC for the contention thatt genuinely held concerns should not be expressed or, if expressed should attract censure. If all those nurses involved in care of the particular patients concerned and also those involved its the management of such, fulfil their professional duty there should be a strong voice to which the employer would be wise to listen,

I hope this is helpful.

Yours sincerely

Professional Advisory Service

The UKCC can be contacted at:

United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting
23 Portland Place
London W1N 4IT
0171-637 7181