HEIW champions speaking up safely for healthcare learners

Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) were thrilled to present the Raising Concerns Reflective Toolkit at the National Council of Deans UK Conference, in London on 01 April 2025. 

The conference provided a fantastic opportunity to showcase the toolkit to university leads from across the UK and internationally. It highlighted the importance of enabling speaking up safely throughout educational and practice-based learning settings. 

Speaking up safely is essential for a high-quality learning experience and, ultimately, for better patient care. By encouraging open conversations and equipping students with the right tools, HEIW is helping to create a more supportive and transparent culture within the NHS. 

At the conference, Simon Cassidy, Head of Placement and Improvement at HEIW, spoke about the challenges that healthcare learners often face when speaking up about issues such as discrimination, bullying, or unsafe practices during their training. Simon led on the development of the Raising Concerns Reflective Toolkit with Dr Patricia Brown, to help overcome and support issues such as these. The toolkit is an innovative resource that provides clear guidance to help learners identify, document, and address concerns with confidence, ensuring they feel supported every step of the way. 

Simon Cassidy said: 

“I was very grateful to be invited together with Dr. Patricia Brown to present on the work we have done on our HEIW Raising Concerns Reflective Toolkit. Creating a culture where learners on healthcare programmes feel able to speak up safely is critical to positive conditions for education and training. It was clear from conference feedback that creating positive learning cultures is a key issue for all UK education and practice-based learning providers.  

Our HEIW Toolkit is important in signalling organisational intent that should you raise a concern you will be supported. So, it was particularly beneficial to share the work we have undertaken to produce the HEIW Toolkit and in monitoring its effectiveness, when participating in conference discussions with educational sector leaders across the UK. The impact of the Toolkit and resources within it were recognised as being extremely useful to help learners with their decision-making about raising concerns and to assist staff supporting learners through this process.” 

This work not only benefits students but also improves safety, efficiency, and overall healthcare standards. By giving learners a stronger voice, HEIW is strengthening the future workforce and ensuring that healthcare services continue to improve for patients across Wales. 

For more information on the importance of speaking up safely, please visit HEIW’s website.