Ensuring Dignity and Non-Discrimination as Healthcare Professionals
CPD-AccreditedCertified byThe CPD Certification Service, UK
Remediation · All UK healthcare regulators CPD Certified
Ensuring Dignity and Non-Discrimination as Healthcare Professionals
Facing a complaint or allegation about dignity, bias or discrimination? Start
here. A CPD-certified remediation course for Doctors, Dentists, Nurses, Midwives,
Pharmacists and all other Healthcare Professionals responding
to a concern raised with the GMC, GDC, NMC, GPhC, HCPC, GOC, GCC, GOsC or Social Work
England. What your standards actually require, why intention is not the test, and how to
evidence that something has changed.
Bulk buy — any 10 courses
Instant access · certificate on completion · CPD certified
Who this course is for
For healthcare professionals facing an investigation, a complaint or a fitness to practice
process where a patient or a colleague has said they were treated unfairly, or without dignity — or who wants to get ahead of it.
A patient says they were treated differently
Less time, less explanation, a different threshold for investigation or referral, or an assumption
made about them that turned out to be wrong.
A colleague has raised a concern
About how you spoke to or about someone, or about a decision that appeared to be influenced by
something it should not have been.
You are under fitness to practice investigation
A case is open with the GMC, GDC, NMC, GPhC, HCPC, GOC, GCC, GOsC or Social Work England and you need
documented CPD and written reflection to put behind your response.
Nothing has been raised
You want to understand where the line actually sits, and to be able to evidence inclusive practice
before anyone asks you to.
The concerns this course speaks to
Dignity and discrimination allegations rarely involve anyone saying anything overtly
prejudiced. They are usually about a difference in how someone was treated.
A different threshold
Less investigation, a slower referral, or pain taken less seriously — and the patient’s
belief that it would have been handled differently for someone else.
Assumptions about the person
About lifestyle, capacity to understand, likelihood of adherence, or social circumstances —
shaping the options offered before the conversation even started.
Communication and language
Speaking to a relative rather than the patient, not arranging interpretation, or a manner that
changed depending on who was in front of you.
Dignity during care
Exposure, privacy, who was present, and how someone was spoken about when they were not in the
room.
Access and reasonable adjustments
Disability, communication needs and practical barriers that were not asked about or not
accommodated.
Conduct towards colleagues
Unequal treatment within a team, and the separate concern of witnessing discrimination and not
acting.
What the course covers
Nine sections and 22 lessons, with reflective exercises closing each of the first eight
sections and a post-course assessment at the finish.
Introduction to dignity and non-discrimination
Defining both, and why they matter to patients, to colleagues and to your registration.
Key concepts of dignity in patient care
Patient-centred care, privacy and confidentiality, and empathy and compassion as practical behaviours rather than sentiments.
Understanding and preventing discrimination
The types of discrimination that arise in healthcare settings, recognising and addressing implicit bias, and creating an inclusive environment for patients and colleagues.
Standards and expectations
The frameworks that apply, the ethical guidance issued by the regulators, and the consequences of failing to uphold dignity and non-discrimination.
Communication, dignity and respect
Verbal and non-verbal communication, de-escalation and conflict resolution, and delivering difficult news with sensitivity.
Addressing breaches
Identifying a breach of dignity or non-discrimination standards, and the self-reflection and accountability that has to follow it.
Remediation for professionals facing regulatory concerns
Acknowledging and addressing a breach, developing a remediation plan, and maintaining professionalism while a fitness to practice process is running.
Personal and professional development
Building a personal development plan, and engaging in reflective practice that produces evidence rather than intentions.
Conclusions and assessment
Summary, followed by a post-course assessment. Your certificate is issued on completion.
How this helps if a concern has been raised
The instinct to deny prejudice is the response that fails
Almost every registrant facing this kind of allegation wants to say the same thing first: that they are
not prejudiced, that they treat everyone the same, that they have worked with people from every background
for twenty years. It is usually sincere and it is almost never useful, because it answers a
question the panel has not asked. The standards are explicit that bias can operate
subconsciously, so a declaration of good intent cannot settle anything.
What does settle it is examining the specific episode. What was decided, what was offered, what was
explained, how long was spent — and whether any of that would plausibly have been different for a
different patient. That question can be answered honestly without accepting that you hold
prejudiced views, which is why it is the productive route through a case that otherwise feels
impossible to respond to. It is also the route that produces evidence: a documented review, structured
feedback, targeted training with an account of what it changed, and specific behavioural commitments
rather than good intentions.
On completion you receive a certificate recording the course title, the CPD hours and the date —
which, with your own written reflection, is suitable for inclusion in a remediation
portfolio, an appraisal folder, a revalidation submission or a response to your regulator. For
courses written to your own regulator’s standards, see courses by regulator.
Read the standards yourself
GMC: treating patients fairly and with respect ↗
HCPC: challenge discrimination ↗
GCC: equality, diversity and inclusion ↗
Ready to start?
Any UK registered healthcare professional. Instant access, 2 CPD hours, certificate on completion.
Who wrote it
Course facilitator and author, Probity & Ethics
Dr Iqbal has designed and delivered ethics, probity and professionalism training for UK healthcare
professionals since 2020, working with registrants of all nine UK healthcare regulators, online and face
to face. He combines clinical practice with formal postgraduate training in healthcare law and
ethics.
MBBS · MRCS · MRCGP · Postgraduate Certificate in Healthcare Law and
Ethics, University of Dundee
Written and reviewed by Dr Shehzad Iqbal. Last reviewed .
What counts as discrimination under professional standards?
Treating a person or group unfairly and differently from others. Your regulator’s definition is
deliberately wider than the legal one: it covers treating someone differently because of
your views about their lifestyle, their culture, or their social or economic status, as
well as the characteristics protected by law. Many registrants are surprised by that, and it is the test
that will actually be applied.
The standards also recognise that a personal bias can influence your actions or perceptions
consciously or subconsciously. So the question in a discrimination concern is not whether
you hold prejudiced views. It is whether someone received worse care, less explanation or less respect
than another patient would have — and whether you can now see how that happened.
What these words mean
The terms a regulator will use about a probity concern, and what each one means means in practice.
Dignity
Recognising, acknowledging and honouring the patient as a human being instead of objectifying them. It is central to person-centred care, is particularly relevant when the patient is not physically present, and continues to apply after their death.
Discrimination
Treating a person or group of people unfairly and differently from others. Regulators include treating people differently because of your views about their lifestyle, culture, or social or economic status, as well as the characteristics protected by law.
Personal bias
Favouritism towards, or prejudice against, people of a particular ethnicity, gender or social group that consciously or subconsciously influences your actions or perceptions. Regulators require you to act so that it does not affect the care you provide.
Equality
Fairness: ensuring that individuals or groups are not treated less favourably because of their protected characteristics.
Diversity
Recognising and valuing visible and non-visible differences, and taking steps to encourage and benefit from a range of perspectives.
Inclusion
Where people’s differences are valued so that everyone can contribute and perform to their full potential, and belong without having to conform.
Your standards go wider than the law does
This is the single most useful thing to understand before writing a response, and it catches
people out. The regulators did not simply adopt the legal categories.
The characteristics protected by law
Age, disability, gender reassignment, race, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity,
religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.
And then the standards add more
Regulators state that discrimination also includes treating people differently because of your views
about their lifestyle, their culture, or their social or economic status
— none of which is a protected characteristic.
Which is where most concerns actually arise
Assumptions about a patient who drinks, who is homeless, who did not attend, who is perceived as
difficult, or who is thought unlikely to comply. That is the territory this course works through.
Three duties, not one
Most registrants know about the first. The second and third are where written responses most
often fall short.
Do not discriminate
Treat people fairly, and do not let your personal values, biases or beliefs affect the care you
provide or your interactions with colleagues.
Be aware of your own bias, and act on it
The standards require awareness of the potential impact of your biases, and positive action
so they do not prejudice care. Awareness alone is not the duty; acting on it is.
Challenge it in others
Raise concerns about colleagues if you believe they are treating people unfairly or have
discriminated, following your workplace procedures and keeping everyone involved safe. This one
surprises people, and doing nothing is a position a regulator can examine.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as discrimination under my professional standards?
More than you might expect. Regulators define it as treating a person or group unfairly and differently from others — and they are explicit that this includes treating someone differently because of your views about their lifestyle, their culture, or their social or economic status, as well as the characteristics protected by law. That is a deliberately wider test than the legal one, and it is the one your regulator will apply.
Which professions is this remediation course for?
All UK registered healthcare professionals. It is written for doctors regulated by the GMC, dentists and the dental team regulated by the GDC, nurses, midwives and nursing associates regulated by the NMC, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians regulated by the GPhC, HCPC-registered professionals including paramedics, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, radiographers and practitioner psychologists, optometrists and dispensing opticians regulated by the GOC, chiropractors regulated by the GCC, osteopaths regulated by the GOsC, and social workers. Dignity and equality expectations are common to every regulator’s standards.
I am not prejudiced. How can I be facing a discrimination concern?
Because the question is not what you believe, it is what happened and what effect it had. The standards recognise that a personal bias can influence your actions or perceptions consciously or subconsciously, and they require you to take action so that your values, biases and beliefs do not affect the care you provide or your interactions with colleagues. A response built on denying prejudice therefore answers a question nobody asked. What a panel needs is evidence you have examined the decision and changed something.
Do these duties apply to colleagues as well as patients?
Yes, explicitly. The HCPC requires registrants to be aware of the impact of their personal values, biases and beliefs on their interactions with colleagues as well as service users and carers, and not to discriminate against any of them. The GCC requires registrants to promote equality, diversity and inclusion and to challenge discrimination generally. A concern can be raised by a colleague as readily as by a patient.
Am I obliged to do something if I see a colleague discriminating?
Yes. This is the duty most people are unaware of. Both the HCPC and the GCC require you to raise concerns about colleagues if you believe they are treating people unfairly, have discriminated against someone, or have let personal biases prejudice the care they provide — following the relevant procedures in your workplace and maintaining the safety of everyone involved. Doing nothing is a position your regulator can examine.
What does dignity actually mean in this context?
Recognising, acknowledging and honouring the patient as a human being rather than objectifying them. It runs through privacy while undressing and being examined, who is present, how you speak about someone when they are not in the room, and how their needs and preferences shape the care. Notably, the standards say dignity continues to apply after a patient has died.
The complaint is about my tone or manner. Is that really a regulatory matter?
It can be, particularly where the person felt they were treated differently from others. Regulators are not adjudicating on personality, but they are interested in whether someone received worse care, less explanation, or less respect than another patient would have. Arguing about tone rarely helps. Showing that you understand how it was experienced, and what you have changed, does.
Where do dignity and non-discrimination sit in my own regulator’s standards?
Every UK healthcare regulator covers them. The GMC covers treating patients fairly and respecting their rights, and treating patients with kindness, courtesy and respect, in Domain 2 of Good medical practice — and helping to tackle discrimination was one of the five themes of its 2024 revision. The HCPC covers challenging discrimination at Standard 1. The GCC covers it at Principle C, including promoting equality, diversity and inclusion and challenging discrimination. Find the clause in your own standards and quote it by number.
How do I evidence a change in something like bias?
More concretely than most people expect. A documented review of the decision or episode in question, structured feedback from colleagues and where appropriate from patients, targeted training with a reflective account of what it changed, changes to how you take histories or offer options, and a personal development plan naming specific behaviours rather than good intentions. Sections 7 and 8 of the course are built around producing exactly that.
Will completing this course resolve my fitness to practice case?
No. No course, from us or from anyone else, determines the outcome of a fitness to practice matter. What a course can do is help you build the insight and reflection your response needs, and give you a verifiable certificate to evidence it. Your indemnity provider, professional body or a specialist regulatory adviser should advise on your own circumstances.
How long does it take, and does it count towards CPD?
It carries 2 CPD hours across nine sections and 22 lessons, with reflective exercises closing each of the first eight sections and a post-course assessment at the end. The certificate is CPD-certified by The CPD Certification Service and is suitable for a remediation portfolio, a response to your regulator, an appraisal folder or a revalidation submission. It is self-paced.
Courses that work alongside this one
Communication sits behind more complaints than any other factor, and many dignity concerns begin there.
Where the concern involves colleagues — including the duty to challenge discriminatory behaviour by others.
Dignity in practice: undressing, chaperones, who is present, and consent as a continuous process.
The element assessed in almost every case, whatever the allegation, and the one most often described as lacking.
How to write reflection that reads as understanding rather than regret, in your own words.
Turning insight into concrete, evidenced change that a panel can see actually happened.
What fitness to practice means, how the process works, and what is being assessed at each stage.
Restoring confidence after a concern — with patients, with colleagues and with the regulator.
This course. What your standards require, why intention is not the test, and how to evidence that
something has changed.
You are here
Find courses written to your own regulator’s standards →
Start your remediation today, finish at your own pace
Instant access on purchase. Certificate on completion, CPD-certified by The CPD Certification Service.
Probity & Ethics is an independent CPD provider. We are not affiliated with, accredited by, or endorsed by any UK healthcare regulator. No course determines the outcome of a fitness to practice case. This course is not legal or regulatory advice — if a concern has been raised about you, speak to your defence organisation, professional body, insurer or a specialist regulatory adviser about your own circumstances.
