Your wellbeing matters.
Here you’ll find resources to help you look after your wellbeing, manage difficulties, and access support when you need it.
Raising concerns
We know the PTPT training can be challenging, and we recognise the importance of PTPTs feeling able to raise concerns and, where appropriate, escalate them. As pharmacy professionals, you have a responsibility to prioritise the safety and wellbeing of those in your care, and to take action if you believe anyone, including yourself, is at risk. It is therefore essential that you understand how to raise concerns appropriately.
A concern is any issue that causes you discomfort or worry and that you feel needs to be discussed with someone else. This may relate to areas such as patient safety, your training placement or workplace, your training provider, educational or practice supervision, confidentiality, microaggressions, bullying, any form of abuse, or your own wellbeing. These examples are not exhaustive, and you are encouraged to raise any concern, even if it is not listed here. Raising concerns may also be referred to as “whistleblowing” or “speaking up,” terms you may encounter in related guidance.
The information below outlines the routes available for raising a concern and should be used alongside local guidance provided by your employer or training provider on speaking up and reporting incidents or near misses. Your employing organisation and/or apprenticeship provider will also have designated contacts, such as safeguarding leads, Freedom to Speak Up Guardians, HR advisors, mental health first aiders, and wellbeing services, some of which may be available outside standard working hours. Please consult their website, intranet, or handbook for further details.
Please note that this guidance does not replace local serious incident reporting procedures.
There are different options available for discussing or raising a concern. The choice of who to approach will depend on your individual circumstances. Whichever route you choose, you can expect to be listened to and supported.
The different options available include:
- Educational supervisor (ES): Normally your go to person (unless the issue is about your ES). If your ES is not available, you can speak with a line manager in your organisation, a senior member of your team or an ES for another trainee at your organisation. If the concern is urgent, try and speak to somebody face to face or phone rather than email.
- Training Provider – Tutor: As a PTPT, you will have a tutor assigned to you by your training provider. Your tutor will be able to discuss with you a way forward and signpost you to the support available to you while you are a student.
- NHS England Regional Facilitators: If you are a PTPT in need of support, or an Educational Supervisor raising a support request on behalf of your trainee, please get in touch. You can request support from the South West England Pharmacy Workforce, Training & Education team by completing the request for trainee support form.
A member of the team will contact you to discuss away forward and determine whether any further support is needed. Further support could include:
- a visit to the workplace
- facilitating a meeting
- a referral to the professional support and wellbeing team or a mental health first aider
More information can be found in the trainee support guide
If you have tried any of the approaches above but still need further support, you can escalate a concern to the South West WT&E Quality Team via email england.escalatingconcernswte.sw@nhs.net or through the contact form Escalating Concerns
Other information that may help you.
- National Education and Training Survey (NETS): This is a national survey open to all students undertaking a practice or training post in healthcare. This survey asks questions about what has worked well with the training placement and what can be improved. This survey is carried out annually.
- SW Pharmacy Annual Survey: This is a regional survey open to all pre-registration trainee pharmacy technicians commissioned by NHS England WT&E South West. This survey asks questions about what has worked well with the training placement and what can be improved. This survey is carried out annually.
Other wellbeing resources are also available on the NHS England South West Workforce, Training & Education – Pharmacy Technician Futures platform