RCGP Safeguarding toolkit

Practice procedures

All practices/organisations should have clear policies and processes on disciplinary procedures and managing allegations about staff which includes how the staff member should be supported.

Support for a member of staff under investigation

If an concern/allegation has been raised against you, you should:

• be offered support
• be treated fairly
• seek support (dependent on role) from your union, defence union, your GP, NHS Practitioner Health, BMA, LMC.

Safer recruitment

All practices should follow safe recruitment procedures which includes:

• Disclosure and barring/criminal record checks (via Disclosure and Barring Service [DBS] in England and Wales, via Disclosure Scotland in Scotland or via Access NI in Northern Ireland).
• References.
• Safeguarding included in all job descriptions.
• Obtaining evidence of a person’s right to work in the UK.

These procedures are only one part of safe recruitment and safe staffing.

All staff should be alert to any behaviours of colleagues (inside and outside of work) that could indicate a risk to patients or the wider public.

The practice has a legal duty to refer information to the relevant disclosure service (as outlined above) if an employee has harmed, or poses a risk of harm, to vulnerable groups and where they have dismissed them or are considering dismissal. This includes situations where an employee has resigned before a decision to dismiss them has been made . It also includes situations where the harmful behaviour has taken place outside of work or the organisation only finds out about it after the person has left.