# Welcome to SMIRK Unit
8 - General ethics

- What are ethics and what have they got
  to do with me?
- What the words mean
- What you do outside university
- Practice guidelines
- Practice guidelines 2
- Practice guidelines 3
- Practice guidelines 4
- Practice guidelines 5
- Back to main index

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SMIRK - General ethics by The Health Professions Council modified by Marion Kelt, Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.bps.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/code_of_human_research_ethics.pdf, http://www.hpc-uk.org/assets/documents/10002D1BGuidanceonconductandethicsforstudents.pdf, .

# What are ethics and
what have they got
to do with me?

This section looks at how you should behave as a professional, but we also have a section on how you should carry out your research.

#### What the words mean

Research: any form of disciplined enquiry that aims to contribute to a body of knowledge or theory.

Research ethics: the moral principles guiding research from its start through to completion and publication of results.

Research Ethics Committee (REC): a multidisciplinary, independent body responsible for reviewing research proposals involving human participants to ensure that their dignity, rights and welfare are protected.

Protocol: a filed document which specifies the procedures for recruiting participants and gathering and managing data. All project staff agree to comply with it.

Human participant: includes living human beings, human beings who have recently died, embryos and foetuses, human tissue and bodily fluids and human data and records (such as medical, genetic, and other records and test results including academic achievements).

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SMIRK - General ethics by The Health Professions Council modified by Marion Kelt, Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.bps.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/code_of_human_research_ethics.pdf, http://www.hpc-uk.org/assets/documents/10002D1BGuidanceonconductandethicsforstudents.pdf, Image: Moral Compass by Paul Downey. https://www.flickr.com/photos/psd/1806225034/ CC-BY

# What the words mean

Intervention: describes a number of actions that you may take. This means actions you take to, for, on or with the service user and it can include diagnostic or monitoring procedures, therapy or advice.

Participant: you should now refer to a person who serves as a data source for research as a participant. This recognises their active role and replaces the term subject. The extent of active participation in the research will vary from one project to another. The use of participant also acknowledges the autonomy of the individual in contributing to the research, and their right to withdraw at any time without penalty. In some research it is also relevant to acknowledge that a participant’s understanding of the experience they have while taking part in the research will often be a valuable additional source of information and may well help to enrich the interpretation of findings.

People other than the primary participants may be also need to be included in the consideration of the ethics of research. For example, parents, relatives, friends and colleagues may be affected by research, and the ethical conduct of research will often need to be informed by the interests of other stakeholders as well.

Service users: anyone who uses or is affected by a practitioner's services, for example your patients, clients, and their carers or relatives.

Student: anyone studying on a formal education and training programme. A student includes trainees or practitioners who are training. The word programme means these education and training programmes.

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SMIRK - General ethics by The Health Professions Council modified by Marion Kelt, Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.bps.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/code_of_human_research_ethics.pdf, http://www.hpc-uk.org/assets/documents/10002D1BGuidanceonconductandethicsforstudents.pdf,

# What you do outside
university

During your course you have the opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge you need to become a professional in an environment which protects the public. You also have the chance to learn about the behaviour that the public expects from you at work. If you are studying towards a regulated profession, you have certain responsibilities. On your programme you will be expected to meet high standards of conduct and ethics. These standards should also apply to your conduct in the virtual world, read Your digital footprint for more information and advice.
In very serious circumstances, your conduct may affect your ability to:

- complete your programme
- gain the final qualification
- register with a professional body such as the HPC or BPS.

When you apply to join a profession regulated by the HPC, they may ask for information as part of a declaration that you have a ‘good character’. This includes whether you have:

- any convictions or cautions
- been disciplined by a professional organisation, regulator or employer
- had any civil proceedings made against you

HPC regulated professions are not covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. This means that you must tell them about all of your convictions and cautions, including those that are considered ‘spent’. This means that it can be ignored after a certain amount of time. Usually the convictions or cautions which might affect your registration are those for more serious offences. A detailed guide is available at www.hpc-uk.org

The following pages outline how you should behave when on placement or employed in practice.

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######
SMIRK - General ethics by The Health Professions Council modified by Marion Kelt, Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.bps.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/code_of_human_research_ethics.pdf, http://www.hpc-uk.org/assets/documents/10002D1BGuidanceonconductandethicsforstudents.pdf,

# Practice guidelines

#### 1 You should always act in the best interests of your service users.

- You should respect a person’s right to have their interventions carried out by a professional and not a student.
- You should not exploit or abuse your relationships with service users.
- You should treat everyone equally.
- You should not do anything that you think will put someone in danger.
- If you are worried about a situation which might put someone at risk, you should speak to a member of the placement team or your education provider.

#### 2 You should respect the confidentiality of your service users.

- You should keep information about service users confidential, and only use it for the purpose for which it was given, unless the information raises concerns about a situation where someone may be at risk.
- You should not knowingly give any personal or confidential information to anyone who is not entitled to access it.
- You should remove anything that could be used to identify a service user from confidential information which you use in your assessment. This is called anonymising the information.
- You should follow local policies or guidelines if you want to use information that may identify someone in your assessments.
- You should follow local policies or guidelines on confidentiality produced by your education provider or placement provider.

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######
SMIRK - General ethics by The Health Professions Council modified by Marion Kelt, Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.bps.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/code_of_human_research_ethics.pdf, http://www.hpc-uk.org/assets/documents/10002D1BGuidanceonconductandethicsforstudents.pdf,

# Practice guidelines 2

#### 3 You should keep high standards of personal conduct.

- You should be aware that conduct outside of your programme may affect whether or not you are allowed to complete your programme or register with a professional body.
- You should be polite with service users, your colleagues and the programme team.
- You should make sure that your personal appearance is appropriate for your placement environment. Follow the GCU policy on piercings and jewellery.
- You should follow your education provider’s or placement provider’s policy on attendance.

#### 4 You should provide any important information about your conduct, competence or health to your education provider.

- You should tell your education provider and placement provider about any existing health conditions or changes to your health which may put your service users or yourself at risk.
- You should tell your education provider if you are convicted of, or cautioned for, any offence.

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######
SMIRK - General ethics by The Health Professions Council modified by Marion Kelt, Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.bps.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/code_of_human_research_ethics.pdf, http://www.hpc-uk.org/assets/documents/10002D1BGuidanceonconductandethicsforstudents.pdf,

# Practice guidelines 3

#### 5 You should limit your study or stop studying if your performance or judgement is affected by your health.

- You should get help from a doctor or an occupational health professional if you are worried about your health.
- You should be aware that you may put your service users or yourself at risk if your performance or judgement is affected by your health.

#### 6 You should keep your professional knowledge and skills up to date.

- You are responsible for your own learning.
- You should think about and respond positively to feedback you are given.

#### 7 You should act within the limits of your knowledge and skills.

- You should only carry out an unsupervised task if you feel that you have the appropriate knowledge and skills.
- You should make sure that you are appropriately supervised for any task that you are asked to carry out.
- You should ask for help when you need it.
- You should make sure that you do not claim that you have knowledge and skills which you do not.

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######
SMIRK - General ethics by The Health Professions Council modified by Marion Kelt, Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.bps.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/code_of_human_research_ethics.pdf, http://www.hpc-uk.org/assets/documents/10002D1BGuidanceonconductandethicsforstudents.pdf,

# Practice guidelines 4

#### 8 You should communicate effectively with service users and your education provider and placement providers.

- You should take all reasonable steps to make sure that you can communicate appropriately and effectively with service users.
- You should communicate effectively and cooperate with colleagues to benefit service users.
- You should communicate effectively and cooperate with the programme team and placement team.
- Where appropriate, you should share your knowledge with colleagues.

#### 9 You should get ‘informed consent’ from service users to carry out any intervention, except in emergencies.

Informed consent is when someone has all the information they need, in a format they can understand, to make a decision about whether or not they want to give their permission to have a particular intervention. You should do the following (except in emergencies):

- You should make sure that before you carry out any intervention, the service user is aware that you are a student.
- You should make sure that the service user has given their permission for the intervention to be carried out by a student.
- You should explain the intervention you are planning to carry out.
- Before you carry out any intervention, you should explain any risks associated with it.
- You should follow your education provider’s or placement provider’s policy on consent.

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######
SMIRK - General ethics by The Health Professions Council modified by Marion Kelt, Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.bps.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/code_of_human_research_ethics.pdf, http://www.hpc-uk.org/assets/documents/10002D1BGuidanceonconductandethicsforstudents.pdf,

# Practice guidelines 5

#### 10 You should keep accurate records on service users.

- You should make sure that any information you put in someone’s record is accurate and clear.
- You should protect information in records from being lost, damaged, accessed by someone without permission or tampered with.

#### 11 You should deal fairly and safely with the risks of infection.

- You should make sure that you take all appropriate steps to deal with the risks of infection.
- You should follow your education provider’s or placement provider’s policy on managing the risks of infection.

#### 12 You should behave honestly.

- You should not pass off other people’s work as your own.
- You should make sure that you reference other people’s work appropriately.
- You should make sure that you truthfully and accurately fill in any documents.
- You should not let any improper financial reward influence the advice and services you provide, or the products you recommend.
- You should follow your education provider’s policies on ethics when carrying out research.

#### 13 You should make sure that your behaviour does not damage public confidence in your profession.

- You should be aware that your behaviour may affect the trust that the public has in your profession.
- You should not do anything which might affect the trust that the public has in your profession.

This is the end of our guidance on general professional ethics - we also have a section on research ethics whuch you may find useful.

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SMIRK - General ethics by The Health Professions Council modified by Marion Kelt, Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.bps.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/code_of_human_research_ethics.pdf, http://www.hpc-uk.org/assets/documents/10002D1BGuidanceonconductandethicsforstudents.pdf,