30 JANUARY 2012
The National Clinical Assessment Service (NCAS) has welcomed new guidance from the General Medical Council which stipulates that doctors have a duty to act when they believe patient safety is at risk or their dignity is compromised.
Raising and acting on concerns about patient safety also outlines parameters of when doctors should raise concerns or ‘whistleblow’ and the help and support available to them.
It also calls on doctors not to enter into contracts that prevent them from raising concerns about sub standard patient care.
NCAS’ Interim Medical Director, Professor Pauline McAvoy, said this guidance is crucial in ensuring high standards of patient safety.
She said: “Doctors have a vital role in ensuring that patient safety is maintained at all times. It is essential when any concern about practice is raised, this is handled as quickly as possible. Failure to do so could have very serious consequences, for patients and for the doctor.”
Professor McAvoy added: “Those who are unable to speak up when things are not right because of a clause within their contract are being put into an unacceptable position.”
NCAS has been bringing expertise to the resolution of concerns about professional practice in health services for the past 10 years. In addition to its direct support of the management of individual cases, it has built up a comprehensive range of supporting material and educational programmes. This is aimed at helping health services predict, prevent, identify and manage concerns in a way which helps resolve the concern before patient safety is compromised.
For more information about the work of NCAS, please visit www.ncas.nhs.uk
To view a copy of the GMC’s guidelines, please visit www.gmc-uk.org/raisingconcerns
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Notes to Editors
1. NCAS works across the United Kingdom, providing general and specialist advice to help organisations address concerns about the practice of individual dentists, doctors or pharmacists or, in some cases, of practice teams. NCAS also undertakes formal assessment of practitioners.
2. NCAS is currently a division of the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA). In July 2010, the Department of Health published its review of Arm’s Length Bodies – Liberating the NHS: Report of the arms-length bodies review.
Although the report announced abolition of NPSA, it did stipulate that NCAS functions should continue. NCAS services will continue to remain free to NHS organisations until the service becomes self funding – expected within two-three years.
Between April 2012 and March 2013, NCAS will be hosted by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
