Initial concerns

Initially you will receive communication from your department / academics regarding the concerns about your Fitness to Practice. This stage can be confusing as you may not initially receive the full concerns whilst it is being investigated, if you are on a placement it is likely you will be asked to leave your placement while this is investigated.

Your case will be assigned to an investigating officer from OSCAR (Office of Student Complaints and Regulations) and they provide you with the full details of the concerns and you will next be invited to a Fitness to practice Investigation meeting.

Fitness to Practice Investigation Meeting

This is the first formal stage of the Fitness to Practice process.

This will be a meeting between yourself, the investigating officer from OSCAR and representative from your registered body. You can also bring along a supporter or SU representative if you chose to.

This meeting will usually be around an hour and is a fact finding meeting, it is informal and it is your opportunity to respond to the concerns that have been raised.

The OSCAR investigating officer and registrant will discuss the concerns with you and ask further questions relating to your study, placement, general behaviors, understanding of expectations and regulations and support you have in place.

Within this meeting you can present any evidence you wish, have a statement to refer to and take breaks as is needed to ensure you can clearly explain your understanding of the situation.

This meeting can have a number of outcomes, the university will aim to complete the investigation within 20 days of this meeting.

There can be 5 outcomes:

1. It can be decided that there are no Fitness to Practice issues and the case will be dropped and you can return to your studies.
   
   
2. It could be decided that there are issues but that the situation can be rectified through actions you can take to rectify the situation, these can include but are not limited to writing an apology letter, undertaking further training, warnings or stipulations on contact.                                                                   
3. If it is decided that the evidence and situation is too serious to be rectified through these lower actions then it will be progressed to a Fitness to Practice Panel.                                                                 
4. It could be decided that there is not a Fitness to Practice issue but that there is still an issue that should be investigated under the university disciplinary regulations.                                                       
5. It could be decided that while the matter is not serious enough for a Fitness to Practice panel there is need to have a Support to Study panel to ensure you are able to complete the course in a healthy and correct way.

Fitness to Practice Panel

The Fitness to Practice panel is the formal panel which will determine the outcome of the concerns that have been raised about your fitness to practice. 

The panel will consist of: 

• A chair of the meeting
• Another member of University staff
• A student representative, usually a sabbatical officer
• A representative from your registering body (e.g. a representative from the Nursing and Midwifery Council, or the British Psychological Society)
• A secretary to the meeting, usually someone from OSCAR

You can attend on your own or you can bring along a friend or the Students' Union representative who has been supporting you.

This is a formal panel that will follow a set structure.

The Chair of the meeting will run the meeting and ensure everyone is introduced and the concerns regarding your professional behaviour will be clearly stated and you will have the opportunity to state if you accept or deny the concerns. You will be able to read a short introductory statement and there will be a period of addressing each concern and you being questioned by the panel, as they look to establish if you are fit to practice.

If there are any witnesses either called by the panel or yourself there will be chance for both sides to ask questions of them.

You will be able to have the final word and give a final statement to be considered before the panel will leave the meeting to deliberate.

The panel will return and provide one of the following outcomes:

1. No breach of professional behaviour: The panel may decide that there is no breach of professional behaviour or standards and no further action will be taken. The matter will be considered concluded.
2. Breach of professional behaviour, Corrective Action Plan: The panel may decide that there has been a breach of the University’s requirements for professional behaviour but the panel may be satisfied that the breach can be repaired via completion of a corrective action plan and that the breach is unlikely to compromise the student’s eligibility to apply for registration. A corrective action plan is a set of actions, specific to your situation, that the panel believe will allow you to rectify any existing issues and ensure that these same issues do not arise in the future.
3. Breach of professional behaviour: The panel may decide that there has been a breach of the University’s requirements for professional behaviour and that the breach cannot be repaired. In serious cases the outcome could be that you are terminated from your course and you wont be able to continue on a programme that leads to eligibility to apply for registration.