Support available to
placement personnel
Fitness to Practice
Dr Isabel Anton-Solanas
22nd March 2013
2
Aims of this session
To outline the standards that need to be met for a
student to demonstrate their Fitness to Practice
To identify situations where a student’s Fitness to
Practice is cause for concern
To determine the action that is to be taken should
there be a cause for concern
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Definition
Definition of Fitness to Practice
Any programme of study with a practice
component, which leads to professional
registration, is governed by a requirement that
students demonstrate their “Fitness to Practice”
through:
• Completion of theory and practice assessment and course work.
• Standards of behaviour, health and professional conduct relevant
to future employment.
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Duties of the University
• In accordance with…
– Procedures for academic progression
– Codes of professional conduct
– Professional body requirements
…The University must endeavour to ensure that the
behaviour, health and professional conduct of
students does not constitute a risk to themselves or
others
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Areas of concern
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Least frequent areas of concern
Criminal conviction
or caution
Drug or alcohol
misuse
Child pornography
Theft
Financial fraud
Possession of illegal
substances
• Child abuse or any other
abuse
• Physical violence
• Fixed Penalty Notices
• Drunk driving
• Alcohol consumption
that affects clinical work
or the work
environment
• Dealing, possessing or
misusing drugs
•
•
•
•
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Least frequent areas of concern
Aggressive, violent
or threatening
behaviour
•
•
•
•
Assault
Physical violence
Bullying
Abuse
Dishonesty or
fraud
• Falsifying research
• Financial fraud
• Fraudulent CVs or
other documents
• Misrepresentation of
qualifications
10
Most frequent areas of concern
Cheating or
plagiarism
• In examinations,
logbooks or portfolios
• Passing off others’
work as own
• Forging a supervisor’s
name on assessments
11
Most frequent areas of concern
Academic
progression
• Failure to meet
academic standards
• Failure to meet practice
standards
• Poor health that
impacts on capacity to
engage fully despite
reasonable adjustment
12
Most frequent areas of concern
Health concerns
• Failure to seek medical
treatment or other support
• Refusal to follow medical
advice
• Treatment-resistant
condition
• Ongoing poor health which
limits engagement/capacity
to respond to
feedback/retention of
information
13
Most frequent areas of concern
Unprofessional behaviour of confidentiality or attitudes
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Breach of confidentiality
Misleading patients about their care or treatment
Culpable involvement in a failure to obtain consent
Sexual, racial or other forms of harassment
Failure to keep appropriate boundaries in behaviour
Persistent rudeness to patients/colleagues/others
Lack of ability to work towards and demonstrate the Standards
of the Profession
• Lack of ability to keep knowledge/skills up-to-date
• Lack of appreciation of personal limits of knowledge and skills
14
Most frequent areas of concern
Unprofessional behaviour of confidentiality or attitudes
• Uncommitted to work
• Neglect of administrative tasks
• Major problems with effective communication in a clinical
context (with patients, relatives and other healthcare
professionals)
• Failure to accept and follow educational advice
• Inappropriate or unprofessional behaviour
• Major problems with attendance, punctuality, organisational
skills or dishonesty
• Demonstration of inappropriate attitudes/bias on the grounds
of race, religion, gender, sexuality, disability and social
background
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Raising Fitness to
Practice concerns
Who? How? When?
• Who?
– Anyone concerned about the behaviour, health and/or
professional conduct of a student.
• When?
– At any time.
• How?
– In writing to the University (Locality Visitor/PALL).
– Cause for Concern Form.
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Cause for Concern Form
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Emergency
suspension
Emergency suspension
Withdrawal of a student from practice in response
to the possible risk to themselves and others
• A proportionate response
• If the student remains in practice conditions may be
imposed
• The Practice Educator will be notified by the Faculty in
person or by telephone at the earliest opportunity
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Determining severity
1
• Has a student’s behaviour harmed others, or put others at risk
of harm?
2
• Has the student shown a deliberate or reckless disregard of
professional and clinical responsibility?
3
• Is a student’s health or impairment compromising others’
safety?
4
• Has a student abused a client’s trust or violated a client’s
autonomy or other fundamental rights?
5
• Has a student behaved dishonestly, fraudulently or in a way
designed to mislead or harm others?
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Fitness to Practice
procedure
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Step by step…
Cause for
Concern form
Initial discussion
between PE and
LV/PALL
Critical incident
investigation
Consideration of
the evidence
Referral to
Fitness to
Practice panel
Gathering and
documenting
evidence
Outcome
(warning /
sanction)
Appeal
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Support available
ALPS
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Briefing sessions
• Prior to each placement to allow new practitioners
working with our students to understand the
philosophy of the programme and practice the
assessment process prior to having their first students.
• The aim is to increase awareness and understanding of
the programme content and use of clinical/practice
assessment forms.
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PALL: Isabel Anton-Solanas
An academic with a commitment to Supporting
Learning in Practice (SLIP)
• Monitor the status of audits and ensure their timely completion.
• Lead in the organisation and delivery of locality based practice
learning activities.
• Scrutinise student practice evaluations and ensure they are
responded to.
• Establish student placement lines and ensure every student has a
suitable range of experiences.
• Work in partnership with Trusts and the SHA, in particular LELs
and senior staff to ensure the provision of a quality practice
experience for students.
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Locality Contacts
Sil
Wallach
• University Hospital Southampton
• St Mary’s Hospital (Newport)
• Hampshire Hospitals (Basingstoke & Winchester)
Bashir
Lwaleed
• Queen Alexandra Hospital (Portsmouth)
• East Surrey Hospital (Redhill)
• St Richard’s Hospital (Chichester)
David
Voegeli
• Royal Bournemouth Hospital
• Poole Hospital
• Dorset County Hospital (Dorchester)
Richard
Bain
• John Radcliffe Hospital (Oxford)
• Royal Berkshire Hospital (Reading)
• Milton Keynes Hospital
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Locality contacts’ role and responsibilities
• Provide guidance and maintain contact between the
Faculty, placement personnel and learner:
– Locality contacts are available to respond, within reason, to
learners' expressed needs for information and intervention.
– Locality contacts target and visit specific learners, placement
educators and practice placement when:
• Learners have specific needs identified.
• Placement educators clearly signal that the learner’s performance is
below the standard required for the level of training reached.
• Placement educators need support, guidance, training and advice.
• There is a need to monitor and audit the practice-based learning
experience.
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Any questions?