Sexual Safety and Sexual Misconduct in Healthcare

This course explains what sexual misconduct and sexual harassment mean in UK healthcare, towards both patients and colleagues, and the legal and professional standards that apply. It covers the NHS Sexual Safety Charter, intimate examinations and chaperones, how to respond as a bystander, and what regulators expect in terms of insight if a concern has been raised about you.

What you will learn

• Define sexual misconduct and sexual harassment, including the legal definition of harassment under the Equality Act 2010.
• Describe the professional standards on sexual conduct towards patients and colleagues set by the GMC, NMC, HCPC and GPhC.
• Explain the commitments in the NHS England Sexual Safety in Healthcare Organisational Charter and the employer's preventative duty.
• Carry out intimate examinations in line with guidance on consent, explanation and chaperones.
• Respond appropriately as a bystander, a recipient or a manager when sexual harassment is disclosed or witnessed.
• Describe what regulators expect in terms of insight and remediation in sexual misconduct cases, and why these cases are treated so seriously.

Course content

1. Why sexual safety matters (2 min)
2. What counts as sexual misconduct and harassment (3 min)
3. Professional standards towards patients and colleagues (2 min)
4. The NHS Sexual Safety Charter and employers' duties (2 min)
5. Intimate examinations and chaperones (3 min)
6. Speaking up and responding to disclosures (2 min)
7. What regulators expect: insight and remediation (3 min)
8. Building your remediation plan (1 min)
9. Knowledge check (10 questions, 10 min)
10. Guided reflection (15 min)

Standards and guidance covered

• GMC: Good Medical Practice (2024), including the duties not to act in a sexual way towards patients or colleagues and to act if you witness such behaviour
• GMC: Intimate examinations and chaperones, and Maintaining personal and professional boundaries (2024)
• NMC: The Code (2015, updated 2018), including the requirements to treat people with respect and to keep clear professional boundaries
• HCPC: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics (2024)
• GPhC: Standards for pharmacy professionals (2017) and guidance on maintaining clear sexual boundaries
• Equality Act 2010, as amended by the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023
• NHS England: Sexual Safety in Healthcare Organisational Charter (2023)

Certificate

Courses are free to study. When you pass the knowledge check (80%) and complete your reflection, you can buy a verified certificate showing your CPD time, with a unique ID and QR code that anyone can check on our verification page.

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Practitioner Insight is an independent education provider. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the GMC, MPTS, NMC, HCPC, GPhC or any NHS organisation, and this information is not legal advice. If you have been referred to a regulator, speak to your defence organisation, trade union or legal representative.