Learning materials
Here you can find a range of learning materials. These include flowcharts, Q&As and case studies. They show how the principles in the professional standards can apply in practice for doctors, physician associates and anaesthesia associates.
Good medical practice
PAs and AAs
How the professional standards and support materials guide and support good practice: a guide for physician associates and anaesthesia associates.
Test your knowledge of our professional standards by working through real-world scenarios where our standards apply. This site has replaced Good medical practice in action.
Question and answer
In this resource we answer questions on the use of innovative technologies in healthcare and how you should apply our guidance when using them.
Question and answer
This learning material answers questions on how the sustainability duty in Good medical practice could apply. It signposts to organisations that show how this is being done.
Case study
Sally is a medical student. Her first clinical placement, which is four months long, requires her to live in hospital accommodation at some distance from her home, taking her away from her family, friends and support systems.
Video
A video about what dignity and respect means to patients.
Case study
This case study explores the impact of a consensual relationship between two doctors on the team they work in.
Video
A film with some practical tips on putting our guidance into practice and respecting the rights of trans patients.
Video
A film featuring doctor-in-training, Cat Harley's, five top tips for helping older adults feel heard, respected and included in decisions about their care.
Insight
Understand how you can identify opportunities for leadership development and the benefits of compassionate and inclusive leadership.
Conflicts of interest
Case study
Read this case study about competing interest and incentives for referrals.
Case study
Read our case study about conflicts of interest and competing participation in the advisory board of a pharmaceutical company.
Case study
Read this case study about the conflict between the commercial needs of the business and the therapeutic needs of patients.
Case study
Read this case study about judgements in making a referral where it may be seen to be influenced by a commercial interest.
Case study
Read this case study about a physiotherapist's conflict of interest in providing private care to a patient previously treated through the NHS.
Case study
A case study about a doctor asked to encourage patients to use a pharmacy her employer has a financial interest in.
Prescribing and remote consultations
Case study
A doctor discusses safe prescribing and shared decision-making when a patient asks for an unlicensed medicine. By completing the case study, doctors will consider how to manage patient requests for medication and support ongoing care.
Case study
A case study about a 73 year old retired man, going abroad for three months. He visits his GP to ask for extra prescription of Clopidogrel to make sure he has enough medication whilst he's abroad.
Case study
Dr Hafeez is an independent doctor working for the online provider. He doesn’t have access to Aoife’s medical records and asks for consent to contact her local GP. Aoife says she can’t remember the details for her GP and also has concerns about sharing such personal information with a commercial company.
Case study
Dr Douglas telephones his patient, Mei, at the pre-arranged time. They have not spoken before and he realises she is finding it difficult to hear what he is saying. As a result, Mei is not giving him the information he needs in response to questions about her health.
Article
High level principles for good practice in remote consultations and prescribing for all healthcare professionals
Question and answer
Learning material on doctors prescribing cannabis based products for medicinal use. We hope this material will explain the principles in our existing guidance to help understand what is expected when exploring the decision to prescribe cannabis based products for medicinal use.
Decision tool
How to weigh up the factors to decide if a remote consultation is appropriate.
Case study
Case study of a mother who has been prescribed sodium valproate for years discussing this with a GP, Pharmacist and Nurse.
Confidentiality
Case study
A doctor must decide how to respond when police request patient details from the clinic without a court order. By completing the case study, doctors can reflect on how to respond proportionately, seek clarity, and ensure that any decision to share information is in line with guidance.
Case study
A doctor must decide how to respond when a family member raises concerns about a patient’s health and safety. By completing the case study, doctors can reflect on assessing risk, clear communication, and the balance between confidentiality and public safety, in line with guidance.
Case study
A doctor must decide how to respond when a patient continues to drive despite medical advice to stop. By completing the case study, doctors can reflect on assessing risk, communicating clearly, and balancing confidentiality with public safety in line with guidance.
Decision tool
Personal information of patients shouldn't be disclosed unless necessary. This tool can help you decide if things need to be disclosed.
Case study
Explore a case study on challenges that could be faced when sharing occupational health reports
Case study
Explore our case study about the decision a doctor has to make when asked to disclose the medical records of a deceased patient to her family.
Case study
Read our case study about a doctor's decision making when requested to share information about a patient with a family member.
News
Five things to know about our Confidentiality guidance and the GDPR
Case study
Explore a case study on what to do if a patient doesn’t want details shared with others involved in their care
Case study
A case study on dealing with issues relating to confidentiality and potential abuse of an older adult.
Case study
Explore our case study about what a doctor did when her phone was stolen by a patient.
Case study
Explore our case study about a doctors duty of confidentiality when she suspects that a patient may not comply with the law.
Case study
Read the first part of our four-part case study about a patient who refuses to allow her daughter to be tested for HIV.
Case study
Read the second part of our four-part case study about a patient who refuses to allow her daughter to be tested for HIV
Case study
Read the third part of our four-part case study about a patient who refuses to allow her daughter to be tested for HIV
Case study
Read the fourth part of our four-part case study about a patient who refuses to allow her daughter to be tested for HIV
Case study
Explore our case study about a doctor's dilemma when he is unsure if patient's were made aware that they were consenting to their records being released to a third a party
Case study
Explore our case study about what information the doctor can disclose, about patients she no longer has contact with, to the HMRC for audit.
Case study
Read our case study about what records a doctor can disclose for a local clinical audit
Case study
Find out in a our case study what a doctor has to think about when he needs data from patients for his research.
Case study
Read our case study about a doctors’ duty of confidentiality when the patient is another doctor.
Case study
Read our case study about an anxious patient concerned about information being shared with non-clinical members of the team.
Case study
Read our case study about whether a doctor should disclose evidence of abuse in an older adult without the patient’s consent.
Children and young people
Decision tool
A tool to help identify the steps to take when deciding whether to share information about a child or young person at risk of abuse or neglect.
Case study
Read our case study about a doctor’s responsibility to the children of a patient who has changed their diet.
Case study
Read the second part of the case study about a doctor’s responsibility to the children of a patient who has changed their diet.
Case study
Explore our case study about a doctors responsibility to a child when the patient's cultural practices may have impacted or caused her injury.
End of life care
Video
A video where doctors, patients and carers talk about the effects and decisions around clinically assisted nutrition and hydration.
Article
Five things to know about the new CANH guidance from the BMA and RCP
Video
A video on the importance of communication in end of life care.
Case study
Case study on dealing with issues relating to end of life care and clinically assisted nutrition and hydration in an older person.
Consent and mental capacity
Case study
A doctor needs to examine a non-verbal patient in pain who may not have the capacity to consent. By completing the case study, doctors can reflect on assessing a patient’s capacity to decide, making decisions when a patient lacks capacity, and the role of family members in decision-making.
Case study
A doctor must decide how to proceed when a patient with Alzheimer’s disease appears to refuse further investigation. By completing the case study, doctors can reflect on assessing capacity, involving family members, and supporting patient-centred decision making in line with guidance.
Case study
A doctor must support a patient with Alzheimer’s disease to think ahead about future care while they still have capacity. By completing the case study, doctors can reflect on advance care planning, involving family members, and supporting informed decision making in line with guidance.
Video
This video covers what mental capacity is, how can it be assessed, and how our guidance applies.
Article
Read our blog about the Montgomery judgement by Mary Agnew, Assistant Director of Standards and Guidance
Case study
Case study on dealing with issues relating to capacity to consent to treatment and care in an older person.
Case study
Our case-study about supporting patients to make decisions about their care at the end of life.
Case study
Our case-study about supporting patients to make decisions about their care
Case study
A case study about caring for a patient who has made an advance decision to refuse treatment.
Duty of candour
Case study
Read about how the duty of candour applies when doctor makes a mistake in diagnosing the severity of an illness
Case study
Read our case study about the responsibilities of a doctor is when a patient in his care is misdiagnosed by a colleague.
Raising and acting on concerns
Case study
A doctor must decide how to respond when concerns are raised about a colleague’s fitness to practise. By completing the case study, doctors can reflect on how to prioritise patient safety, seek appropriate advice, and support a colleague in line with professional guidance.
Case study
Dr Quinn is a part-time GP and has concerns about the aggressive behaviour of a colleague and effect this is having on patients.
Case study
Dr Hussain is a GP trainee and has concerns about the behaviour of a colleague self-prescribing.
Case study
Dr Ahmed is a senior consultant and has concerns about poor standards of care that go unaddressed.
Case study
Dr Li is a senior consultant who manages a small team, she faces issues with a member of the team who is persistently late for his shifts.
Case study
Dr Doyle is a specialty trainee and becomes aware of an issue where patients are not given adequate information.
Case study
Dr Baker is concerned there is no provision for formal training of trainee doctors in the use of 2D ultrasound for CVC insertion.
Case study
Dr Bevan is an anaesthetist in an operating theatre and has concerns about a near miss incident with faulty equipment.
Case study
Dr McDonald is a specialty trainee and has concerns about the failure of a colleague to follow hand washing procedures.
Case study
Dr Wilson is a specialty trainee and has concerns about a culture of relying on verbal instructions within a hospital.
Case study
Dr Gibbs works as a GP partner and has concerns about shared care protocol on a patient discharged from hospital to his care.
Case study
Dr Sinclair is an associate specialist and has concerns about the repeated failure to address patient safety concerns.
Case study
Mrs Donnell is a consultant surgeon and has concerns about low staffing levels, and has difficulty getting her concerns recognised.
Case study
Dr Khan is an associate specialist and has concerns about an incorrectly carried out cannula procedure.
Case study
Dr Wang is concerned about future risks to patients being given out of date drugs.
Learning disabilities
Video
A video about recognising the carer's limitations
Video
A video on a patient perspectives on what it is like to go to the doctors or hospital when you have a learning disability.
Video
A video about how carers can be a vital source of information for doctors and a useful advocate for some patients
Case study
A case study examining whether a patient with learning disabilities has the capacity to manage their own care and make important decisions.
Case study
Part two of a case-study examining whether a patient with learning disabilities has the capacity to manage their own care and make important decisions
Video
A video explaining why it's important to make 'reasonable adjustments' to accommodate people's individual needs.
Video
A video about people with a learning disability, featuring Baroness Sheila Hollins, Professor of psychiatry of learning disability.
Video
A video covering the usage of 'talking mats' to aid in communicating with people with learning disabilities.
Video
This video details the experiences of a doctor who has worked with carers, and been a carer herself.
Video
A video examining 'challenging' behaviour.
Cosmetic interventions
Case study
Read our case study about a patient’s consultation, with a patient advisor and a doctor, for breast enlargement surgery
Question and answer
Read the frequently asked questions about our cosmetic interventions guidance.
Case study
Read our case study about carrying out a cosmetic procedure on a patient with an underlying psychological condition.
Case study
Read our case study about laser eye surgery. It contains information on time limited deals, informed consent and giving time to reflect.
Sexual misconduct
Case study
Sally is a medical student. Her first clinical placement, which is four months long, requires her to live in hospital accommodation at some distance from her home, taking her away from her family, friends and support systems.
Case study
This case study explores the impact of a consensual relationship between two doctors on the team they work in.
Case study
Dr Adams is a core surgical trainee. Mr Shah, a consultant general surgeon has been assigned her Clinical Supervisor. During supervisor meetings, Mr Shah frequently comments on Dr Adams’s appearance.
Case study
Dr O’Neill is a GP. Ben has been a patient at the GP practice for several years. Ben has consulted with Dr O’Neill on multiple occasions and has grown very fond of him.
