View from the high street: Care and respect

In our practice we have been looking at the new GOC standards for business registrants to ensure that we all understand and can continue to meet them. As part of this we held a training session recently on the importance of consent and safeguarding so that all members of the practice team could understand their roles and responsibilities.

Safeguarding was never talked about when I first qualified, perhaps because there was less need for it with patients coming from closer knit communities. Because there was less awareness, there were fewer cases reported from which to learn. As we discussed our safeguarding duties and thought about those who might be more vulnerable, we all became much more aware of what to look out for.