IBMS response to the Freedom to Speak Up Review

On Wednesday 11 February 2015, Sir Robert Francis QC, Chair of the Freedom to Speak Up review, recommended a package of measures to ensure staff are free to speak up about patient safety concerns.

As the leading standard setting organisation for scientists in health we are dedicated to ensuring the provision of safe, high quality care. All IBMS members must sign up to the Institute’s Code of Conduct, which requires  each individual to take personal responsibility to speak up when standards of care could be compromised. We have recently revised our Good Professional Practice in Biomedical Science document, which includes an updated and strengthened Code of Conduct. Both of these IBMS publications offer members expert guidance on decision-making, leadership and safe effective practice and together they define the level of practice expected from biomedical scientists, their duty of care to patients and their responsibilities to fellow scientists, other healthcare professionals and the profession itself.

IBMS President Nick Kirk, welcomed the review stating: "The IBMS feels strongly about its responsibility in respect of quality and standards of care and as such is a signatory to the recently launched NHS Speaking Up Charter. We are committed to working with the profession's regulator, the Health and Care Profession Council (HCPC), and our other stakeholder organisations to support our members in raising concerns about poor practice to ensure patient safety is not put at risk."