code of conduct bda

1 1Code of Professional Conduct

Code of Professional Conduct Published: September 2008, Review Date: September 2014

2Code of Professional Conduct 2

Contents

Foreword ........................................................................................................4

Introduction ....................................................................................................5

Purpose..........................................................................................................6

Section One .................................................................................................. 8

Service Users Autonomy and Welfare ........................................................... 8

Respecting the autonomy of the service user ....................................................8

Service User Well-being .................................................................................9

Duty of Care to the Service User ...................................................................10

Section Two ................................................................................................ 11

Services to Service Users ........................................................................... 11

Referral of Service Users .............................................................................11

Equity of service provision ...........................................................................13

Provision of services to service users .............................................................13

Recording of information .............................................................................13

Confidentiality ............................................................................................14

Section Three ............................................................................................. 15

Personal / Professional Integrity ............................................................... 15

Personal integrity .......................................................................................15

Personal relationships with patients/clients/users ............................................15

Professional integrity ..................................................................................15

Whistle-blowing ..........................................................................................15

Professional demeanour ..............................................................................16

Personal health and substance misuse ...........................................................16

Personal profit / gain...................................................................................16

Advertising ................................................................................................17

Representation of information ......................................................................17

Sustainability .............................................................................................17


Section Four ............................................................................................... 18

Professional Competence and Standards .................................................... 18

Professional competence .............................................................................18

Delegation .................................................................................................18

Collaborative practice ..................................................................................19

Continuing Professional Development ............................................................19

Dietetic student education ...........................................................................20

Development of the profession .....................................................................20

Acknowledgements ........................................................................................21

References & Further Reading .........................................................................22


Foreword

In the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of diet and nutrition problems, dietitians have a responsibility to act in a professional and ethical manner. The Code of Professional Conduct provides a governance framework to ensure the accountability of dietitians who work in the interest of public safety at all times.

In addition to this, the code provides a set of professional principles that apply to the wider dietetic workforce, which will provide support and help to make informed choices when faced with ethical and professional dilemmas.

The Code of Conduct forms part of the Association’s governance framework and links closely with the BDA’s Professional Standards for Dietitians and other professional practice guidance papers, e.g. Records and Record Keeping. Together, these documents are complementary to and underpin the Health Professions Council’s Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics and the Standards of Proficiency: Dietitians.

I am pleased to present to you the Code of Professional Conduct and trust that it will help to ensure a consistent and high level of best practice by the dietetic workforce across the UK.

I would like to extend my thanks and congratulations to all those involved with its production.

Pauline DouglasHonorary Chairman


Introduction

The Health Act 19991 bestows the status of a profession on dietetics, which automatically carries the statutory requirement to regulate professional conduct for the protection of the service user. The title “Dietitian” is protected by law and can only be used by persons who are registered with the Health Professions Council (HPC).

This means that as registered practitioners, dietitians must:

protect and support the health of individual service users;•protect and support the health of the wider community;•act in such a way that justifies the trust and confidence of the public;•uphold and enhance the good reputation of the profession.•

As independent practitioners, who practise autonomously, dietitians:

are personally accountable for their practice. This means that dietitians are answerable for •their actions and omissions, regardless of advice or directions from another professional;have a duty of care to their service users, who are entitled to receive safe and competent •care;must adhere to the laws of the country in which they are practising.•

Whilst this document addresses the profession of dietetics and dietitians, most aspects contained within it are pertinent to members of the wider dietetic workforce. This includes dietetic support workers and pre-registration student dietitians.

It is an obligation of this wider workforce to ensure that they apply these same principles and precepts within their own scope of practice to ensure the public’s trust in the dietetic service provision and thus also in the profession of dietetics.

Although dietetic support workers are not currently regulated by statute, like dietitians, they are accountable for their actions in four ways:

To the patient/client – civil law (duty of care)• The support worker is accountable for their actions and omissions when they can reasonably foresee that they would be likely to injure service users, or cause further discomfort or harm, e.g. if a support worker failed to report that a patient had fallen out of bed.To the public – criminal law •For example, if a support worker were to physically assault a patient, then they would be held accountable and could be prosecuted under criminal law, as well as being in breach of their contract of employment.To the employer – employment law •Working outside their job description would breach the employment contractTo professional codes of conduct (e.g. The BDA Code of Professional Conduct) •A code of conduct exists for some professions. Ethical, moral and legal issues form these codes in conjunction with standards of practice.


Purpose

The purpose of the BDA Code of Professional Conduct is to provide a set of principles that applies to all dietitians. It requires the dietetic workforce to discharge their duties and responsibilities in a professional, ethical and moral manner.

Producing and promoting a code cannot alter the behaviour of an individual who is determined to act unethically. However, a major function of this code of conduct is to enable professionals to make an informed choice when faced with an ethical dilemma so that they do not behave unethically by error rather than by design.

There are five guiding principles which underpin professional conduct. These are:

Beneficence • – that the actions taken should do good;Non maleficence • – taking steps to prevent harm to others;Justice • – ensuring that people are treated fairly;Fidelity • – being faithful to promises made (this includes the need to be explicit and realistic about what service can be provided);Autonomy • – each individual has the right to freely choose their own course of action and to choose what happens to them.

This code may be used by others to determine the standards of professional conduct which can be expected from dietitians.

The code is necessarily broad and cannot provide definitive answers to the many dilemmas that dietitians may experience within their professional practice. For this reason, it is obviously open to different interpretations, depending upon the circumstances to which it is applied. However, if used as a guidance document, the Code should support all dietetic practitioners to ensure that their practice is safe, effective and of high quality.

This code is a public document which supplements the HPC Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics2 and Standards of Proficiency3. It should be used in conjunction with Professional Standards for Dietitians (BDA 2003)4 and other documents for guidance, such as BDA Guidance on Records and Record Keeping (BDA 2008)16. The British Dietetic Association (BDA) strongly recommends recognition of the Code by all other individuals, organisations and institutions involved with the profession.

It is the personal duty of every dietitian to ensure that their HPC registration is kept up to date.

Any action which conflicts with the word or spirit of this code should be considered unethical. It confers no rights, and offers no protection against any sanction imposed by the laws of the United Kingdom.

Uncertainty or dispute as to the interpretation or application of this code should be referred, in the first instance, to the Education and Professional Development section of the BDA office.

There are aspects of the code which will only be relevant for HPC registered professionals, and for these elements the protected title Dietitian is used.


Note

In this document the following terms are used:

“‘You must” is used as an overriding principle or duty.

“You should” is used where the principle or duty may not apply in all circumstances or where there are factors outside your control affecting your ability to comply.

This document replaces Code of Professional Conduct which was issued by The British Dietetic Association in January 2004.


Section One

Service Users Autonomy and Welfare

Respecting the autonomy of the service user

1.1 You will at all times recognise, respect and uphold the autonomy of service users: i.e. their right to make choices and to work in partnership with dietetic practitioners. You will promote the dignity, privacy and safety of all service users.

1.1.1 You will respect the decisions of service users concerning their own health and independence, even when such decisions conflict with professional opinion.

1.1.2 Service users should be given sufficient information and time to enable them to make informed decisions, about their health and social care.

1.1.3 You will take care to present information in a way that service users can understand3,6.

1.1.4 Reasonable steps should be taken to ensure that the service user understands the nature, purpose and likely effect of the proposed intervention5,7.

1.1.5 Service users have a right to refuse intervention, and should be offered the opportunity to refuse it. Any such refusal should be respected and recorded in writing.

1.1.6 Discussions with, or about, service users should be confidential and be conducted in such a place and manner as to protect their privacy.

NOTE: Exceptional circumstances may, however, prevail, for example where the service user is deemed to lack competence in relation to consent to treatment (mental health legislation and current case law)8,9,10,11,12,13.

Mental Capacity Act (2005) England and Wales8 governs decision-making on behalf of adults,

where they lose mental capacity at some point in their lives or where the incapacitating condition has been present since birth. The Act received Royal Assent on 7 April 2005 and came into force during 2007.

The Adults with Incapacity Act (2000) Scotland sets out in law a range of options to help people aged 16 or over who lack the capacity to make some or all decisions for themselves. It allows other people to make decisions on their behalf.

There is currently no equivalent law on mental capacity in Northern Ireland. The Bamford Review of Mental Health and Learning Disability is looking at how current law affects people with mental health needs or a learning disability in Northern Ireland.


Service User Well-being

1.2 You must not engage in or condone behaviour that causes mental distress or physical harm. Such behaviour includes neglect, intentional acts, indifference to the pain or misery of others and other malpractice.

1.2.1 Any intervention that may cause pain or distress should first be explained to the service user, who should also understand its nature, purpose and likely outcome, before it begins.

1.2.2 You should make every reasonable effort to avoid leaving a service user in pain or distress after any intervention. If distress continues, relevant parties should be informed as soon as is reasonably practical.

1.2.3 If you witness, or have evidence of, behaviour which appears to cause unnecessary or avoidable pain or distress (including unreasonable restraint), you have a duty to make this known confidentially to your line manager or other appropriate agency12,13.

1.2.4 You should act to prevent such action from continuing, providing this action is within your professional competence and does not conflict with local policies and procedures. If you are unable to intervene you should withdraw from the action.

1.2.5 You should take all reasonable steps to prevent service users following action or advice which you know to be harmful to their health.


Duty of Care to the Service User

1.3 You have a duty to take reasonable care of service users.

1.3.1 Professional “duty of care” is established at the moment when you accept a service user for assessment and intervention. You have a duty to ensure that any intervention is likely to be of benefit to the service user.

1.3.2 You should be aware that you have a common law duty of care to your service users2 and that a breach of this duty may lead to a civil claim for damages for negligence by the service user.

1.3.3 You must obtain adequate public liability insurance or professional indemnity cover for any part of your practice not covered by an employer’s indemnity scheme.

1.3.4 You must not refuse to treat someone just because the patient has an infection2.

1.3.5 You must take appropriate precautions to protect service users, their carers and families, and yourself from infection. In particular you should protect your service users from infecting one another2.

1.3.6 You must take precautions against the risks that you may infect someone else. This is especially important if you suspect or know that you have an infection that could harm others2.

1.3.7 If you believe or know that you may have such an infection, you must get medical advice and act on it2.


Section Two

Services to Service Users

Referral of service users

2.1 Dietitians shall only accept referrals which they deem to be appropriate and for which they have the resources14.

2.1.1 It is the duty of the dietitian to determine whether the referral is appropriate. The referral may be made verbally or in writing by a medical practitioner, another health professional, or by individual service users.

2.1.2 If the dietitian decides that dietetic advice is not appropriate, the referrer should be informed so as to increase awareness of the role and limitations of dietetic practice.

2.1.3 It is not a requirement of dietetic practice for dietitians to accept only medical referrals. Dietitians are autonomous professionals and the responsibility for assessment and subsequent intervention remains with the individual dietitian.

2.1.4 Dietitians are legally liable for their intervention, teaching and advice carried out following assessment. This applies regardless of whether the intervention requested by the referrer is found to be appropriate or not.

2.1.5 Responsibility lies with the dietitian to identify whether or not dietetic intervention is indicated. Criteria must be established to ensure that clear objectives are agreed, with both the service user and the referrer, for any intervention.

Dietitians have a threefold responsibility to ensure that the intervention is necessary and appropriate to:

the service user; to make sure that expectations are not raised that a. cannot be fulfilled, and to not waste time and resources treating service users for whom the treatment will not be or has ceased to be beneficial.

themselves as dietitians; by treating a service user who does not require b. such treatment. It is morally wrong to give treatment when it is not required, or when referral to another agency is necessary, or more appropriate.

their employer; whether self employed or employed through a health c. trust, private hospital or industrial concern, it is ethically wrong to waste time and money by treating service users unnecessarily.


2.1.6 Prescriptive referrals

Some dietetic referrals are contentious. Usually, these are “prescriptive” referrals and tend to fall into three categories:

Requests for dietetic intervention that would be actively harmful to the •service user;Requests for interventions which are unnecessary;•Requests for intervention that would be of doubtful benefit.•

2.1.6.1 Actively harmful

Health Circular HC(77)3315, Relationships between the Medical and Remedial Professions, includes comments by the Joint Consultants’ Committee. Para. 2(ii) states:

“In asking for treatment by a therapist (dietitian) the doctor is clearly asking for the help of another trained professional, and the profession of medicine and the various therapies differ. It follows from this that the therapist (dietitian) has a duty and a consequential right to decline to perform any therapy (intervention) which his professional training and expertise suggests is actively harmful to the patient. Equally, the doctor who is responsible for the patient has the right to instruct the therapist (dietitian) not to carry out certain forms of treatment which he believes harmful to the patient.”

Medical colleagues have, therefore, clearly acknowledged that dietitians have the right to refuse to treat a patient/client/user when the treatment requested is considered to be actively harmful. It would be courteous in these circumstances and beneficial to the service user to discuss the matter with the medical practitioner and suggest an alternative course of management based on the dietetic assessment.

2.1.6.2 Unnecessary treatment

If it is clear that a request is inappropriate or cannot be justified in terms of possible benefits or available resources, the referring practitioner must be approached and the responsibilities of the dietitian explained as set out above. If the practitioner persists in making such inappropriate requests, it may be necessary for a more formal approach to be made by a dietetic service manager. Requests by the referrer for the number of sessions required to fulfill a therapeutic intervention should also be challenged. It is not considered good practice to let the medical practitioner assume that their request is being carried out, when the dietetic intervention considered appropriate is substantially different.

2.1.6.3 Treatmentofdubiousbenefit

Many areas of healthcare, although appearing to have a beneficial effect, have not been evaluated or researched. It is the responsibility of each individual dietitian to keep up to date in respect of the research, evaluation of dietetic practice and approaches to the care of various conditions. If such a request is made, the dietitian has a duty of care to discuss, with both the service user and the referrer, the implications of the intervention and negotiate the way forward.


Equity of service provision

2.2 You will provide an equitable service to all service users.

2.2.1 You should provide services that are sensitive to, and which value and respect, the diversity of culture and lifestyle.

2.2.2 You must not allow your views about a service user’s sex, age, colour, race, disability, sexuality, social or economic status, lifestyle, culture, religion or beliefs to affect the way you treat them or the professional advice you give2. You should strive for consistency of care at all times and in all situations.

2.2.3 You must not judge service users and you should ensure that children and other vulnerable individuals are protected.

2.2.4 Resources will never be infinite and therefore choices about their use will have to be made. Priorities should always be based on sound ethical principles and current best practice in relation to the reasonableness, availability and suitability of services to meet the needs of patients/clients/users.

Provision of services to service users

2.3 Services should be centered on the needs of the service users.

2.3.1 You should act to uphold and promote service users’ autonomy.

2.3.2 You should report to employers any deficiencies of provision for service users, and should substantiate your concerns.

2.3.3 If you feel unable to practise safely and effectively, you have a duty to raise your concerns with your employers. This dialogue must be recorded14.

Recording of information

2.4 You should keep accurate records

2.4.1 You should keep a written (and/or electronic) record of the intervention, advice given and the outcome of decisions taken.

2.4.1.1 Every service user should have a clearly recorded assessment of need and objectives of intervention.

2.4.2 Records should be accurate, legible, factual, in sequence, made promptly, and signed by the person who made them.

2.4.3 If you are delegating care activities to another member of staff appropriately (e.g. students, support workers) there must be a system in place to ensure the accuracy of the record, i.e. that what has been done has been accurately recorded. This may, but not necessarily, include countersigning their entries. Until there is UK-wide national guidance on the countersigning of records by support workers and students the decision is one for individual departmental interpretation. Further information and guidance on this can be found in the BDA Guidance on Records and Record Keeping Document 200816.


2.4.4 Subjective opinion should always be identified as such and should be clinical and relevant.

2.4.5 Records should be stored securely so as to be confidential16,27.

Confidentiality

2.5 Youareethically,morallyandlegallyobligedtosafeguardconfidentialinformation relating to service users2,18,31.

2.5.1 The disclosure of confidential information to a third party is normally only permissible where the service user gives consent (expressed or implied); or when there is legal justification (by statute or court order); or it is thought to be in the public interest to prevent serious harm to anyone2.

2.5.2 Disclosure of the service user’s diagnosis, treatment, prognosis or future requirements should only be made when there is valid consent or legal justification.

2.5.3 Records should be kept secure from all but those who have a legitimate right/need to see them19.

2.5.4 Local and national policies on the confidentiality and storage of electronic notes (including faxes and e-mails) should always be followed.

2.5.5 Access to records by service users must only be granted in accordance with current statutory provision. Reference should be made to current codes of practice and other guidance (both local and national) on access to personal health information, particularly in relation to:

Policies and Procedures

Access to Personal Files Act 198720

Data Protection Act 199821

Human Rights Act 199822

Access to Medical Reports Act 198823

Access to Health Records Act 199024

Caldicott Guidance 199927

The Children Act 198928

The Freedom of Information Act 200029

Confidentiality: NHS Code of Practice 200330

NOTE: Exceptional circumstances may, however, prevail where the rights of access to information may be curtailed in certain circumstances such as the Children Act 1989 and Data Protection Act 1998.


Section Three

Personal/Professional Integrity

Personal integrity

3.1 The highest standards of personal integrity are expected of you.

3.1.1 You have a duty to refrain from bullying and other forms of harassment, and to be aware of how your behaviour affects others32.

3.1.2 You have a duty to behave safely, responsibly and legally online, particularly in relation to the use of social networking sites. You must not:

breach confidentiality and data protection laws;•engage in potentially libellous gossip;•bring your profession into disrepute.•

Personal relationships with service users

3.2 You will not enter into relationships that exploit or abuse service users sexually,physically,emotionally,financially,sociallyorinanyothermanner.

3.2.1 It is considered unethical for you to enter into relationships which may impair your professional judgment and objectivity and/or may give rise to advantageous/disadvantageous treatment of the service user.

Professional integrity

3.3 You should not criticise any colleague in public.

3.3.1 You may give expert evidence in court about the alleged negligence of a colleague, though such evidence should be objective and capable of substantiation. If you should witness malpractice by any other professional, under no circumstance should you remain silent about it.

3.3.2 If you have reasonable grounds to believe that the behaviour or professional performance of a colleague, of whatever discipline, is below the expected standards of professionalism, this should be notified confidentially to your line manager or other appropriate person in accordance with the recommendations of the NHS Executive following the Public Interest Disclosure Act 199833 (HSC1991/198)34. For those working outside the NHS setting, advice should be sought from the BDA or the HPC registrar2.

3.3.3 Care should be taken, when giving a second opinion, to confine it to the issue and not the competence of the first professional.

Whistle-blowing

3.4 You should be aware of the available mechanisms for “whistle-blowing”33,34,35.

3.4.1 If you are employed within the NHS you should be aware of the nominated officer in your Trust/Board, with whom you should consult when appropriate. All staff are protected in these circumstances. If you are not employed by the NHS you should seek advice from the BDA.


3.4.2 Whistle-blowing should not be used to resolve personal, partnership or business disputes. In these cases, any areas of concern must be raised with the individual first.

Professional demeanour

3.5 You must conduct yourself in a professional manner appropriate to the setting.

3.5.1 At all times when carrying out professional duties, you must act in such a way as to maintain the confidence of the service user.

3.5.2 You should wear appropriate uniform or work-based clothing which meets the need to inspire confidence in your patients and to afford protection against cross infection risks and other health and safety considerations. Your employing authority will determine the nature of your work-based clothing which must also take into account the cultural and religious requirements of members of staff.

Personal health and substance misuse

3.6 Youmustnotworkwhilstundertheinfluenceofanysubstancewhichislikelyto impair the performance of your duties.

3.6.1 You must not misuse, nor encourage others to misuse, alcohol, drugs or other substances.

3.6.2 You must seek advice and take action if you become aware that your physical and/or mental health could affect your fitness to practise.

3.6.3 You must inform the HPC about any significant changes to your health, especially if you have changed your practice as a result of medical advice2.

Personalprofit/gain

3.7 You must not accept favours, gifts, or hospitality from service users, their families or commercial organisations when the offer might be construed as an attempt to gain preferential treatment36,37.

3.7.1 Your prime duty is to the service user and you should not let this duty be influenced by any commercial or other interest that conflicts with it.

3.7.2 A bequest in a will to you by a service user should be declared to your employer, where appropriate.

3.7.3 Local policies concerning gifts should be observed.

NOTE: In certain cases, the property and affairs of a service user may be subject to the authority of the Court of Protection.


Advertising

3.8 You may make direct contact with potential referring agencies in order to promote your services.

3.8.1 Dietitians should be guided by the HPC Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics2 and the Standards of Proficiency: Dietitians3.

3.8.2 You must take care not to make or support unjustifiable statements relating to particular products.

3.8.3 If you are involved in advertising or promoting any product or service, you must make sure that you use your scientific knowledge, clinical skills and experience in an accurate and professionally responsible way. You must not make or support unjustifiable statements relating to particular products. Any potential financial rewards to you should play no part at all in your advice or recommendations of products and services that you give to patients, clients and users.

Representation of information

3.9 Youmustgiveatrueaccountofyourqualifications,education,experience,training and competence and the services you can provide.

3.9.1 You shall not convey any information you know, or have reasonable grounds to believe, to be false, fraudulent, deceptive or untrue.

3.9.2 If you become aware that information which you have given about your employment is false you should notify the appropriate authority.

Sustainability

3.10 Public accountability and respect for the environment

3.10.1 You have a responsibility to The Association, to tax payers, to the wider community and to the environment not to waste resources. You should demonstrate due regard for the sustainable management of resources at your disposal and should use resources responsibly and efficiently as is practicable.


Section Four

Professional Competence and Standards

Professional competence

4.1 You shall achieve and maintain high standards of competence.

4.1.1 You are responsible for the maintenance of your own professional competence and knowledge of the laws affecting your practice2.

4.1.2 You must only provide services for which you are qualified by education, training and/or experience, and which are within your professional competence and scope of practice2,4,38.

4.1.3 If you are asked to act up or cover for an absent colleague you must identify and

decline to undertake any aspect of work which you know or believe to be outside the scope of your clinical competence. Such duties should not be undertaken in the absence of adequate supervision and training2,4.

4.1.4 Dietitians seeking work for which their training or experience is insufficient or out of date have a responsibility to ensure that adequate self-directed learning, training and supervision takes place38.

Delegation

4.2 Dietitianswhodelegatetreatmentorotherproceduresmustbesatisfiedthatthe person to whom these are delegated is competent to carry them out. Such persons may include students, support workers or volunteers. In these circumstances the dietitian will retain ultimate responsibility for the service user2,40,41.

4.2.1 Dietitians must provide supervision appropriate to the level of competence of the individuals for whom they have responsibility.

4.2.2 When delegating work to others, dietitians have a legal responsibility to determine the knowledge and skill level required to perform the delegated task.

4.2.3 The dietitian is accountable for the delegation of the task, and the support worker/student is accountable for accepting the delegated task, as well as being responsible for his/her actions in carrying it out.


Collaborative practice

4.3 You will respect the needs, working practices, skills and responsibilities of others with whom you work.

4.3.1 You should acknowledge the need for multi-professional collaboration to ensure the provision of well-coordinated services delivered in the most effective way. In so doing the unique contribution of each profession should be acknowledged.

4.3.2 Dietitians must refer service users to, or consult with, other service providers when additional knowledge and expertise is required.

4.3.3 With the exception of seeking a second opinion, it is in the interests of good service user care and best practice that there should be one dietitian taking overall responsibility for the assessment and treatment of a service user for any one episode of care.

4.3.4 When more than one dietitian is involved in the treatment of the same service user, they must liaise with each other and agree explicit areas of responsibility.

Continuing Professional Development

4.4 It is your responsibility to develop your knowledge and skills and keep yourself up to date2,3,39.

4.4.1 You must continue to develop and maintain your professional knowledge and skills.

4.4.2 You should keep a record of your professional development25,39.

4.4.3 You should set annual objectives in partnership with your line manager or appropriate professional peer as part of the appraisal process.

4.4.4 You must engage in a range of CPD activities of which a key component is practice supervision2,25,26. A minimum recommendation is at least one session every two months. Further guidance on practice supervision can be found in the BDA Practice Supervision Guidelines September 200842.

4.4.5 It is your duty to ensure that your practice is evidence based, wherever possible.


Dietetic student education

4.5 Dietitians have a professional responsibility to participate in the education of dietetic students.

4.5.1 Dietitians should ensure they have adequate training and skills to be a competent trainer before training dietetic students.

4.5.2 Dietitians should treat all students with fairness and respect.

4.5.3 Dietitians should ensure that they promote student-centred learning and that the training they offer is appropriate to the student’s level of education and training.

4.5.4 When accepting a student for placement, dietitians should have a clear understanding of their role and responsibility and those of the student and the educational institution.

4.5.5 Dietitians should regularly evaluate the quality of their training and strive for continuous improvement.

Development of the profession

4.6 Dietitians should promote an understanding of, and contribute to, the development of dietetics.

4.6.1 Dietitians have a responsibility to contribute to the continuing development of the profession by critical evaluation, audit and research.

4.6.2 Dietitians undertaking research and audit must always address the ethical implications and refer to local protocols.

4.6.3 Dietitians undertaking research or audit have a responsibility to share their findings in order to inform or change practice.


Acknowledgements

This document has been based on the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct for Occupational Therapists 2000, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Rules of Professional Conduct 2002 and the Nursing and Midwifery Council Code of Professional Conduct 2002 and the Society of Radiographers Code of Conduct and Ethics 2007.

The Code of Professional Conduct was revised by Najia Qureshi, Professional Development Officer on behalf of the Professional Development Committee of The British Dietetic Association.

Please direct any enquiries on this document to the Education and Professional Development Section of the Association.

September 2008


References & Further Reading

The Health Act 1999.1 Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics. Health Professions Council 2008.2 Standards of Proficiency. Health Professions Council 2007.3 Professional Standards for Dietitians. The British Dietetic Association 2003.4 Good Practice in Consent: A Guide for Dietitians. The British Dietetic Association. 5 August 2002. (Revised document due to be published November 2008) Toolkit for Producing Patient Information. Department of Health 2000.6 Reference Guide for Consent to Examination or Treatment, Welsh Assembly 7 Government. Mental Capacity Act (2005) England and Wales.8 Making Decisions. Helping People who have difficulty deciding for themselves. A 9 guide for Health Professionals. Lord Chancellors Department May 2000. Seeking Consent: Working with Children. Department of Health November 2001.10 Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000.11 Protection of Children Act 1999.12 The NSF for Older People. March 2001. Department of Health.13 Safe Caseload Management. Professional Development Committee Briefing Paper 14 No.11. The British Dietetic Association. Health Circular HC (77) 33. Relationships Between Medical and Remedial 15 Professions, Department of Health. London. The BDA Guidance on Records and Record Keeping 200816 Better Information, Better Health: Information Management and Technology for 17 Health Care and Improvement in Wales, A Strategic Framework 1998-2005. National Assembly for Wales. Informing Healthcare: Transforming healthcare using information and IT (2003). 18 Welsh Assembly Government. Access to Health Records (NI) Order 1993; Access to Personal Files and Medical 19 Reports (NI) Order 1991; The Children’s (Northern Ireland) Order 1995. Access to Personal Files Act 1987.20 Data Protection Act 1998.21 Human Rights Act 1998.22 Access to Medical Reports Act 1988.23 Access to Health Records Act 1990.24 Continuing Professional Development Position Statement BDA 2008.25 Practice Supervision Position Statement BDA 2008.26 Caldicott Report 1997.27 The Children Act 1989.28 The Freedom of Information Act 2000.29 Confidentiality: NHS Code of Practice. Department of Health 2003.30 NHS Code of Practice on Protecting Patient Confidentiality NHS Scotland 200331 Policy Statement on Harassment and Bullying. The British Dietetic Association. 32 October 2002. Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998.33 HSC 1999/198 The Public Disclosure Act 1998: Whistle-blowing in the NHS.34 So Long Silence. Whistle-blowing: The Policy Pack 2003.35 Commercial Sponsorship – Ethical Standards for the NHS. Department of Health 36 2000. Commercial Sponsorship – Ethical Standards for the NHS in Wales 2003.37 Guidance Document on Extended Scope Practice. The British Dietetic Association 38 2006. Continuing Professional Development and your Registration. Health Professions 39 Council 2006


Supervision, Delegation and Accountability: A guide for registered 40 practitioners and support workers. Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, Royal College of Speech and Language Therapy , The British Dietetic Association, The Royal College Nursing January 2006 Guidance Document on the Roles, Responsibilities and development of the 41 Dietetic Support Worker. The British Dietetic Association June 2006. BDA Practice Supervision Guidelines September. The British Dietetic Association, 42 September 2008

24Code of Professional Conduct

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