Your baby is now officially an embryo and is about the size of a poppy seed.
Please visit www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/4-weeks-pregnant/ for more information.
Safe Learning Environment Charter
The Safe Learning Environment Charter (SLEC) aims to strengthen the NHS workforce. It has been developed by over 2482 learners, educators, and key stakeholders in health education.
It is designed for learners and those responsible for supporting placement learning across all learning environments and all professions within them. It is aligned to the NHS People Promise in recognition that learners are vital to the workforce and are included in the promises we must all make to each other, to improve everyone’s experience of working in the NHS. The Charter sets out the supportive learning environment required to allow learners to become well-rounded professionals with the right skills and knowledge to provide safe and compassionate care of the highest quality.
NHS England Safe Learning Environment Charter (SLEC) has 10 priorities, they are:
| Respect and feeling valued | Learners are respected and feel valued in the learning environment, demonstrated by effective communication and engagement. |
| Positive identity | Learners are easily identified and viewed positively within the clinical environment. |
| Wellbeing | Learners understand the importance of physical, emotional, and psychological safety and are aware of services and resources that can support their health and wellbeing. |
| Raising concerns & speaking up | Learners know how to raise a concern and feel empowered to speak up, knowing that they will be appropriately supported. |
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Placement induction |
Learners receive a placement induction that supports their learning and adequately prepares them for their roles. Placement induction processes are well-established and evidenced to support learners. |
| Communication | Learners have a clear pathway for support from both the education provider and the placement provider. They know by whom, when and how that support is delivered. |
| Flexibility | Learner wellbeing and professional development is supported by flexible working and learning practices, both in terms of accessibility to facilities and to forms of educational opportunities. |
| Supervision | Learners are supported by positive role models and appropriate levels of supervision. Continuity of supervision builds on individual learning needs, develops confidence and proficiency. |
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Teaching and learning needs |
Learners are supported by supervisors who are adequately prepared for the role and understand the underpinning principles regarding how individuals learn in a practice setting. They are recognised as learners rather than workers and enabled to develop towards independent practice. |
| Time and space for learning | Learners are given time to reflect on and process learning experiences. They receive regular verbal and written feedback, providing opportunities for development and assessment to occur. |
Local action
The Charter is a call to action for education and placement providers, educators, and learners. Their commitment to jointly embed its priorities and recommendations across organisations will bring the charter to life.
Efforts to implement the charter should be integrated into organisations’ medium- and long-term planning, with monitoring processes implemented to assess and measure their impact.
The golden threads running through the charter are EDI, patient safety, and psychological safety. Projects and initiatives to implement the Charter’s priorities should be linked to ongoing work in these key areas to exploit synergies and strengthen their impact.
