Raising Concerns
If you have a concern about a student, a placement area or an experience in practice please tell us.
Raising concerns early helps us respond appropriately, protect safe learning and practice, and identify any support or action needed. Use the resources below to help you provide clear, factual information, then complete the Raising Concerns form below.
If you have any questions or not sure whether to report it, please email practice.education@uos.ac.uk and we will help identify the right next step.
For urgent escalation call 01473 338012.
If you are concerned about a student’s conduct, attendance, performance, professional behaviour or ability to practise safely, please report it promptly so that it can be reviewed and appropriate action taken.
Placement partners should discuss concerns with the student, document them in the Practice Assessment Document (PAD) and inform the course team and their organisation’s education team, where applicable. Raising a concern should not come as a surprise to the student unless there is a clear reason why this has not been possible.
Members of the public may also submit a concern and are not expected to complete these steps. Please provide clear, factual information and any supporting evidence available.
Submitting a concern does not automatically lead to Fitness to Practise. The University will review the information and determine the appropriate next steps.
Students should feel safe, supported and able to learn while on placement. A concern may relate to patient or service-user safety, the quality of the learning environment, supervision, staff conduct, discrimination, bullying, harassment or any practice that appears unsafe or unprofessional.
Where you feel able and safe to do so, consider raising the issue with your practice educator, supervisor, placement manager or University course team first. Some concerns can be resolved quickly through an early conversation. However, you should not be discouraged from submitting a concern if the issue is serious, ongoing, has not been resolved or you do not feel comfortable raising it directly within the placement area.
Please provide clear, factual information about what happened, when and where it occurred, who was involved and any action already taken. You may also upload relevant supporting evidence. Avoid including unnecessary personal or confidential information.
All concerns will be reviewed by the University and considered carefully. The information provided will help us determine the appropriate action, which may include offering support, contacting the placement provider, requesting further information or escalating the concern through the relevant University or professional process.
The following resources provide guidance on the information required and include templates to help you prepare clear, factual and relevant supporting evidence. Please use these where appropriate before submitting your concern.