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Raising Concerns

'Raising Concerns' is the ×î×¼µÄÁùºÏ²ÊÂÛ̳ MBBS portal where Y4-6 medical students can report a concern involving members of faculty or clinicians affiliated with ×î×¼µÄÁùºÏ²ÊÂÛ̳ Medical School.

The Quality Assurance and Enhancement UnitÌý(QAEU) are committed to protecting the welfare of our students and facilitating resolutions, whereÌýappropriate, for all parties involved. We know this process can be daunting, therefore we have compiled a list of FAQs below. If you are unsure about the reporting process or whether you should submit a concern, we are happy to have an informal chat with you about your situation, online or face to face. You can book a 30 minute chat (either on Teams or in-person) with our QAE Associate Lecturer Vicki via or email us atÌýmedsch.qaeu@ucl.ac.uk.

There are 3 different reporting platforms at ×î×¼µÄÁùºÏ²ÊÂÛ̳MS:

  • Concerns relating to other students should be raised with ×î×¼µÄÁùºÏ²ÊÂÛ̳MS Student Support ²õ±ð°ù±¹¾±³¦±ð²õ.Ìý
  • Concerns relating to years 1-3 should be raised with platform
  • Concerns relating to years 4-6 should come to Raising Concerns and you can submit a report by completing the .Ìý

The RUMS Team have created the flowchart below to help you navigate different situations:

RUMS Flowchart for Raising Concerns

Many students feel unclear about what happens after a concern is raised and there is more information in the FAQ below. There are also case studies available to help demonstrate the process - see Harshil, Michelle, Ali & Sarah's stories. If you have any questions reach out to us: medsch.qaeu@ucl.ac.ukÌý

Additional information can be foundÌýin our guidance document: Raising Concerns 2024

What happens after a concern is raised?:

  1. The QAEU reviews the concern
  2. We reach out to the reporting party to:
    1. get more context if needed
    2. check they are getting the right support
    3. discuss how best we should take the concern forward
  3. Each concern is different but in general we pass anonymised information to the relevant site to investigate and and resolve

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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Who are the QAEUÌýand are they part of the Medical School?

We co-ordinateÌýresponses to concerns raised by students with the aim of achieving mediationÌýwhere appropriate.ÌýWe can be reached atÌýmedsch.qaeu@ucl.ac.uk.Ìý

Mr John Hines -ÌýQAE Academic LeadDr Vicki Cowling -ÌýQAE Associate Lecturer (Teaching)Michelle Galloway - QAE CoordinatorIzzie Jay - QAE and CPP Manager

John Hines

Dr Vicki CowlingMichelle PhotoIzzie Jay

ÌýWe are a part of the Medical School but we keep details of concerns confidential and within the QAEU. Any sharing of information outside of the QAEU would only be done with the explicit consent of the Reporting Party or in the event of a safeguarding concern (please see further information on this below).

Key People

Senior Leadership TeamÌý
Director of ×î×¼µÄÁùºÏ²ÊÂÛ̳ Medical SchoolProfessor Faye Gishen
Deputy Lead for MBBS Programme (Years 1-3)Dr Sarah Bennett
Deputy Lead for MBBS Programme (Years 4-6)Dr Aroon Lal
Divisional TutorDr Will Coppola
Deputy Divisional TutorÌýMiss Stella Ivaz
MBBS Management TeamÌý
MBBS Divisional ManagerMrs Sam Photiades
Head of MBBS ManagementMs Gaynor Jones
HR Business PartnerÌý
Faculty of Medical SciencesMs Connie Thrower

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Will information about my report ever be shared?Ìý

The specific details of the report and your personal information is kept on file and can only be accessed by the QAEU. However, as part of the 'Raising Concerns' process, we may need to share specific information with the relevant parties but we would always discuss and agree this with you first. Reports relating to peer-on-peer incidents are managed specifically by the MBBS Student Support team.Ìý

There are some situations where the right to confidentiality would be waived. These include any safeguarding issues involving other students or if there are concernsÌýregardingÌýyour ownÌýmental or physical wellbeing. We would always aim to make this clear to you and ensure that you have access to additional support, which may include a referral to the ×î×¼µÄÁùºÏ²ÊÂÛ̳ÌýStudent Support & Wellbeing team.Ìý

Any concerns raised, formally or informally, meeting the threshold of criminal activity will be automatically escalated to the relevant bodies.Ìý

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Should I report this?

Sometimes it can be difficult to know if what you have experienced or witnessed should, or needs to be reported to the QAEU.ÌýWe also know that some of you may be concerned about how the process may impact your studies andÌýwe recommend that you initially speak to someone you trust.

The first disclosure is oftenÌýmost difficult, therefore we have listed below some examples of people who are best placed toÌýsupport you.

  • Your CPP and personal tutors
  • Specialty and year leads
  • EDI Committee members

At the QAEU, we are always happy to provide thisÌýinitial advice and support, even if you decide not to submit a formal report.Ìý

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What happens when I complete the 'Raising Concern' Form?

The QAEU are responsible for monitoring the online portal. Reports can be submitted either anonymously or non-anonymously.

For reports raised non-anonymously, we would always meet with you first to discuss theÌýconcern andÌýthis can be done either remotely or face-to-face.ÌýThis allows us to discuss next steps and whether you wish to proceed with a formal report, or not. The QAEU will support you to make an informed decision however you wish to proceed.

If you decide to proceed with a formal report, we follow an established protocol depending on the nature of the report.

  • IfÌýthe concern relates to an incident in a clinical setting, the specialty and site leads would be responsible for managing the report.ÌýStudent wouldÌýbe provided with feedback by the QAEU but this would be limited to ensure the Responding Party's right to confidentiality.Ìý
  • If the concern relates to a member of faculty this would be escalated in accordance with ×î×¼µÄÁùºÏ²ÊÂÛ̳ HR policies.

If you choose to submit your report anonymously, this will be logged butÌýyou will not receive any contact from the QAEU. We are not able to track who has submitted an anonymous report.

Below you can find additional information on our case studies of concerns that we have managed.

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ShouldÌýI submit an anonymous report?Ìý

We take all reports seriously, regardless of whether they are submitted anonymously or not.

In line with ×î×¼µÄÁùºÏ²ÊÂÛ̳'s Public Interest Disclosure policy, students are encouraged to include their name on the 'Raising Concerns' report, although we recognise that many of you will remain cautious about doing so.

All concerns raised through the reporting form areÌýre-assigned unique IDs to prevent your anonymity being compromised and any identifying information would only be disclosed in the event that it is relevant and on a strict "need-to-know" basis.

While we cannot give individual feedback and explore what action has been taken for anonymous reports, they do enable us to monitor patterns of behaviour and practice. This is vital in guiding us on other areas of work we are involved in, principally the implementation of staff teaching and training activities.

When dealing with anonymous complaints itÌýcan be harder to ensure the reporting party isn’t accidentally revealed during our follow up. For some, students ask us to wait until they rotate placements or if other staff were present we can de-identify the fact the concern was raised by a student and only that it was raised by a witness.

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Can I raise a concern through ×î×¼µÄÁùºÏ²ÊÂÛ̳'s 'Report + Support' platform?Ìý

Yes. ×î×¼µÄÁùºÏ²ÊÂÛ̳'s '' is the central platform for all ×î×¼µÄÁùºÏ²ÊÂÛ̳ students and we recognise that some students may feel more comfortable using this rather than the dedicated platform at the Medical School. They follow the same set of protocols and would only pass on your details to us with your consent.

Please note that ×î×¼µÄÁùºÏ²ÊÂÛ̳ 'Report + Support' is only able to deal with concerns raised around ×î×¼µÄÁùºÏ²ÊÂÛ̳ staff and where concerns are raised about clinicians on site, they would pass these details onto to the QAEU.

As part of ×î×¼µÄÁùºÏ²ÊÂÛ̳'s efforts to track incidents of bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct, the QAEU share anonymised data and meet twice a year with ×î×¼µÄÁùºÏ²ÊÂÛ̳ to share and discuss the reports we receive. This does not include any specific or personal detailsÌýbut this dataÌýis used toÌýsupportÌýthe development of wider interventions and strategies at ×î×¼µÄÁùºÏ²ÊÂÛ̳.

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Does the QAEU work with the student representatives?Ìý

We know that many students may not wish to speak with us directly and therefore we workÌýclosely with student representatives to discuss any ongoing issues. No identifiable detailsÌýwould ever be shared without your consent.Ìý

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What happens if I am unhappy with the outcome?

The QAEU aim to facilitate your concerns toward an appropriate outcome for both parties. If you are unhappy with the outcome then we would look to involve the ×î×¼µÄÁùºÏ²ÊÂÛ̳ Student Mediator or, for clinical placements, the site's Medical Director.

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Who are the Freedom to Speak Up Guardians?Ìý

Each of ×î×¼µÄÁùºÏ²ÊÂÛ̳MS' partner Trusts has a 'Freedom to Speak Up Ìý(FTSU) Guardian' who supports Trust employees to speak up when they have a concern. These Trust-based FTSU Guardians are ideally placed to discuss concerns with ×î×¼µÄÁùºÏ²ÊÂÛ̳MS students and encourage them to report their concerns to the Medical School via the online portal.

The National FTSU Guardian's Office, in association with Health Education England (Now NHS England), has developed an e-learning package: 'Speak Up, Listen Up, Follow Up', which aims to explain in a clear and consistent way what speaking up is and its importance.

The first module aims to help everyone working in healthcare to understand what speaking up is, how to speak up and what to expect when they do.

Year 4-6 students are recommended to undertake the module, which can be accessed via NHS England's , to ensure they are familiar with how to speak up in their clinical placements, if required.Ìý

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