Is a signed consent form enough?

The course says a signed form is not sufficient evidence on its own: the notes should show the substance of the discussion — the information given, the risks, benefits and alternatives, and the patient’s questions and decision. Section 4 covers consent and capacity documentation.

Medical Council · NMBI · Dental Council · PSI · CORU · Complaint or fitness to practise inquiry

Documentation for Healthcare Professionals when you face a complaint to your regulator or a fitness to practise inquiry about your records

The complaint turns on what your records say — or do not say.

Altered records — a note backdated, changed or deleted after the event
Missing entries — advice, a decision or a conversation not recorded
Vague notes — discussed or explained, with no detail of what was said
Consent and capacity — a signed form with no note of the discussion, or capacity not recorded
Safety-netting — advice to return if symptoms worsened, given but not written down
Handover and discharge — a pending result or a follow-up responsibility left out of the record
Boundaries — clinical decisions with a patient or a colleague made by personal email or message, and kept out of the record
Any other concern — about your records or your record-keeping

Facing a complaint or a fitness to practise inquiry in which your records are in question — before the Medical Council, NMBI, the Dental Council, the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland or CORU?

This course is for a healthcare professional facing a complaint or a fitness to practise inquiry about their records. This course helps you remediate — and show the remediation, with a dated certificate for your written response, your reflection, an undertaking or an inquiry.

Buy this course — €100 (€70 with Bulk Buy 10) Bulk Buy — from €70 a course

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Immediate access · certificate on completion · twelve months' access

2 CPD hours
Self-paced
Written for Ireland
CPD certificate
From €70 a course (Bulk Buy of 10)

Our team

Dr Shehzad IqbalFounder, course author and facilitatorMBBS, MRCS, MRCGP
Dr Mo MirzaCourse facilitatorMedically trained, UCL London
Ludmila UpenieceBusiness development and supportPsychology, UEL London

At a glance

Who it is for: Any healthcare professional in Ireland facing a complaint, an audit, an incident review, a preliminary decision or a fitness to practise inquiry about clinical records — altered, missing, vague or inconsistent
Regulator covered: Applies to practitioners registered with the Medical Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI), the Dental Council, the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) or CORU
Length: 10 sections, 84 lessons, 2 CPD hours
Format: Self-paced, online, immediate access, twelve months from purchase
Certificate: Certificate issued by Healthcare Ethics Courses on completion, dated, with the course title and 2 CPD hours
Price: €100 · from €70 a course (Bulk Buy of 10)

Certificate issued by Healthcare Ethics CoursesRemediation courses for regulatory processes.

2CPD hours, issued by Healthcare Ethics Courses

10Sections, nine closing with a reflective quiz

84Lessons, plus a post-course assessment

€100 (€70 with Bulk Buy 10)One off. Twelve months' access

The certificate you will receive

Sample certificate of continuing professional development for Documentation for Healthcare Professionals, issued by Healthcare Ethics Courses, showing the name John Smith, 2 CPD hours and a date of completion, marked SAMPLE — Sample. Your certificate carries your name, the course title and the date you complete the course.

How healthcare professionals use it

With a written response to your regulator or its preliminary committee, alongside a reflection
When an undertaking or a consent is discussed, or in your evidence to an inquiry committee
As a dated record of remediation for the regulator when sanction is considered

Buy this course — €100 (€70 with Bulk Buy 10)

Who this course is for

Told a record was altered after the event

An entry backdated, overwritten or deleted, perhaps after you learned of the complaint. Sections 6 and 7 cover what is permitted — a clearly labelled late entry or addendum — and what is not, and the course treats a concealed alteration far more seriously than an honest omission.

Your account is not in the notes

You gave the advice, explained the risks or arranged follow-up, and the record does not show it. Section 7 covers reviewing records after a complaint, acknowledging gaps honestly and writing a response that does not read more into the notes than they say.

Facing a complaint to your regulator

The Medical Council, NMBI, the Dental Council, the PSI or CORU has written to tell you of a complaint. Your first written reply is where your record-keeping is first read, and the course gives it a structure you can follow under pressure.

Named in an audit or an incident review

An audit of records, a serious incident review or an access log has raised your entries. Sections 3 and 5 cover documentation at transitions of care, handover, escalation and MDT records, where gaps contribute to harm.

Facing a fitness to practise inquiry

The complaint has gone to a Fitness to Practise Committee, a Professional Conduct Committee or a Health Committee. Remediation completed before the hearing, dated and documented, is evidence you can put before the committee and the regulator.

Under an undertaking, conditions or a sanction

An undertaking you have given, conditions on your registration or a sanction may ask you to show what you have done to address the concern. The certificate is dated and records 2 CPD hours, and the course shows the other evidence that sits beside it.

The concerns this course speaks to

Altered and backdated records

An entry changed to cover an omission, a note dated to look contemporaneous. Section 2 covers contemporaneous recording and labelled late entries, Section 6 amendments and corrections in digital records, and Section 7 late entries, addendums and clarifications after a complaint.

Vague and missing entries

Discussed, with nothing about what. Section 2 covers accuracy, clarity, relevance and recording clinical reasoning, and Section 9 structuring notes so that decisions, rationale and follow-up can be found.

Consent, capacity and refusal

A consent form with no note of the discussion, a refusal accepted without a capacity assessment recorded. Section 4 covers what consent documentation should show, how to record a capacity assessment, emergencies, refusal of treatment, and why a form is not enough on its own.

Safety-netting and follow-up

The condition worsened, and the advice to return is not in the notes. Section 3 covers documenting risk, safety-netting and follow-up, diagnostic safety and medication safety.

Handover, discharge and MDT records

A pending result, a medication change or a follow-up responsibility not recorded at a transition of care. Section 5 covers structured handover documentation, escalation, MDT records, and discharge and transfer.

Digital records and data protection

Copied-forward findings that were no longer true, a shared login, a record opened without a clinical need. Section 6 covers electronic records, access control, data protection and information governance, telehealth records and copy-and-paste risks.

Professional boundaries with a patient or a colleague

Notes that comment on a patient’s character, an entry that blames a colleague, clinical decisions made over personal messaging. Section 2 covers professional tone and objectivity, Section 6 keeping clinical decisions off personal email and messaging apps, and Section 7 respectful references to patients, families and colleagues.

The response after a documentation lapse

The notes were adequate. No harm occurred. Section 8 covers why these responses raise concern, and the reflection, targeted remediation and audit evidence that answer a documentation lapse.

Facing a complaint to your regulator or a fitness to practise inquiry? This course helps you remediate — and show it.

Buy this course — €100 (€70 with Bulk Buy 10)

What the course covers

Ten sections and 84 lessons, with a reflective quiz closing each of the first nine and a post-course assessment at the end.

Section 01

Introduction — Why Documentation Matters in Irish Healthcare

Eight lessons

Section 02

Core Principles of Good Clinical Documentation

Nine lessons

Section 03

Documentation for Patient Safety and Continuity of Care

Nine lessons

Section 04

Consent, Capacity, and Documentation

Ten lessons

Section 05

Team Communication, Handover, and Records

Nine lessons

Section 06

Digital Records, Electronic Systems, and Data Protection

Nine lessons

Section 07

Documentation During Complaints and Investigations

Nine lessons

Section 08

Reflection, Insight, and Remediation Following Documentation Lapses

Nine lessons

Section 09

Applying High-Quality Documentation to Daily Practice

Ten lessons

Section 10

Conclusion and Key Takeaways

Two lessons, Conclusion and Key Takeaways, and the post-course assessment

Show every lesson title

Section 01 · Introduction — Why Documentation Matters in Irish Healthcare: What Is Professional Documentation in Healthcare?; Why Documentation Is Critical for Patient Safety; Documentation as a Core Form of Communication; Documentation as a Regulatory Requirement in Ireland; Documentation and Complaints; Documentation, Transparency, and Trust; Documentation Under Pressure; Documentation as Part of Professional Identity.
Section 02 · Core Principles of Good Clinical Documentation: Accuracy and Truthfulness; Contemporaneous Recording; Clarity and Legibility; Relevance and Proportionality; Professional Tone and Objectivity; Recording Clinical Reasoning and Decision-Making; Consistency Across Records; Confidentiality and Data Protection; Regulatory Expectations in Ireland.
Section 03 · Documentation for Patient Safety and Continuity of Care: Documentation and Continuity of Care; Documentation at Transitions of Care; Medication Safety and Documentation; Documenting Risk, Safety-Netting, and Follow-Up; Consistency Between Team Members and Records; Documentation and Diagnostic Safety; Documentation in Complex and Long-Term Care; Impact of Poor Documentation on Patient Safety; Regulatory Expectations in Ireland.
Section 04 · Consent, Capacity, and Documentation: The Role of Documentation in Consent and Capacity; What Regulators Expect Consent Documentation to Show; Capacity: When and Why It Must Be Documented; How to Document a Capacity Assessment Properly; Consent and Capacity in Vulnerable Patients; Emergency and Time-Critical Situations; Refusal of Treatment and Disagreement; Consent as an Ongoing Process; Consent Forms vs Clinical Notes; Regulatory Expectations in Ireland.
Section 05 · Team Communication, Handover, and Records: Why Team Documentation Matters; Documentation in Team Communication; Handover: High-Risk Moments in Care; Structured Handover Documentation; Escalation of Concerns and Documentation; Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) Documentation; Consistency Across Professions and Records; Documentation During Discharge and Transfer; Regulatory Expectations in Ireland.
Section 06 · Digital Records, Electronic Systems, and Data Protection: What Are Digital Records in Healthcare?; Professional Standards Apply Equally in Digital Records; Confidentiality and Access Control; Data Protection and Information Governance; Email, Messaging, and Electronic Communication; Telehealth and Remote Consultation Records; Copy-and-Paste, Templates, and Auto-Text Risks; Amendments, Late Entries, and Corrections in Digital Records; Regulatory Expectations in Ireland.
Section 07 · Documentation During Complaints and Investigations: Why Documentation Is Critical During Complaints and Investigations; Common Documentation Issues Identified in Complaints; Principles for Reviewing Records After a Complaint; Late Entries, Addendums, and Clarifications; Writing Statements and Responses Using Records; Documentation and Professional Tone During Investigations; Demonstrating Insight Through Documentation; Documentation of Remediation and Improvement; Regulatory Expectations in Ireland.
Section 08 · Reflection, Insight, and Remediation Following Documentation Lapses: Why Documentation Lapses Attract Regulatory Scrutiny; Reflection: Analysing Documentation Lapses Honestly; Insight: Understanding Seriousness and Impact; Common Documentation Lapses That Trigger Investigations; Remediation: Turning Reflection Into Action; Evidence: Demonstrating Improvement Credibly; Weak vs Strong Regulatory Responses; Embedding Documentation Learning Into Daily Practice; Regulatory Expectations in Ireland.
Section 09 · Applying High-Quality Documentation to Daily Practice: Documentation as a Daily Professional Habit; Structuring Notes for Clarity and Safety; Documenting Key Clinical Decisions and Rationale; Recording Communication With Patients and Families; Safety-Netting and Follow-Up in Routine Notes; Teamworking and Shared Records; Digital Documentation in Everyday Practice; Managing Time Pressure Without Compromising Standards; Learning From Feedback and Self-Audit; Regulatory Perspective in Ireland.
Section 10 · Conclusion and Key Takeaways: Conclusion; Key Takeaways.

How to respond to a complaint about your records

Whether it is read by your employer, at the preliminary stage or by an inquiry committee, a response about records is read against the records themselves. These are the four parts to set out, and what the course gives you for each.

A committee reads what was recorded at the time, and then reads whether your account matches it.

What the record showsQuoted accurately, with its limits acknowledged.Section 7 covers writing statements and responses using records, without over-reading sparse notes.
The gap or the changeWhat is missing or altered, stated honestly.Sections 6 and 7 cover late entries, addendums and why a concealed alteration is treated more seriously than an omission.
InsightWhy it matters — for continuity, for safety and for trust.Section 8 covers insight into documentation lapses, and the weak responses to avoid.
The changeTemplates, prompts and audits that show the records are now different.Section 8 covers targeted remediation and audit evidence — and this course is a dated item for it.

A record changed after a complaint, without saying so, turns a clinical question into a question of honesty.

Take advice from your indemnifier, your union or professional body, or a solicitor before you respond to anyone.

Facing a complaint to your regulator or a fitness to practise inquiry? This course helps you remediate — and show it.

Buy this course — €100 (€70 with Bulk Buy 10)

How this course helps with a complaint or fitness to practise inquiry

Records are the evidence

Record keeping was a theme in 12% of the 151 fitness to practise cases CORU concluded in 2022 to 2024 (trends report). At the Medical Council an Authorised Officer may obtain records and an expert opinion (Medical Council). The course covers documentation during complaints and investigations (Section 7): do not alter original entries, review the records objectively, identify gaps honestly and seek advice early.

Insight and remediation are weighed

The Medical Council’s Guidance on Sanctions says a practitioner may present evidence about how they have addressed issues or concerns, and NMBI’s Guidance on Sanctions lists acknowledgement and early admission, and remedial action, among mitigating factors. Section 8 sets out the evidence for records: CPD with a reflective summary, structured templates, an audit of consecutive records and supervisor or mentor reports. For the stages from the first letter to the High Court, see the fitness to practise process in Ireland, explained.

Read the primary sources

Buy this course — €100 (€70 with Bulk Buy 10)

Who wrote it

Dr Shehzad Iqbal

Course author and facilitator, Healthcare Ethics Ireland

Dr Iqbal wrote this course. He combines clinical practice with a formal postgraduate qualification in healthcare law and ethics, and has worked with registrants across the regulated health professions, online and face to face, since 2020.

He founded Probity & Ethics in the United Kingdom in 2020 and Healthcare Ethics Courses, which issues the certificates, in 2025. More about us.

MBBS · MRCS · MRCGP · Postgraduate Certificate in Healthcare Law and Ethics, University of Dundee

Written and reviewed by Dr Shehzad Iqbal. Last reviewed 22 October 2026.

In short

Documentation for Healthcare Professionals is a two-hour, self-paced remediation course for healthcare professionals in Ireland — registered with the Medical Council, NMBI, the Dental Council, the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland or CORU — who face a complaint, an audit, an incident review, a preliminary decision or a fitness to practise inquiry about their clinical records. It explains why documentation matters to safety, communication and regulators; sets out the core principles — accuracy, contemporaneous recording, clarity, relevance, professional tone, clinical reasoning, consistency and data protection; covers documentation for continuity of care, medication safety and safety-netting; consent, capacity and refusal; team communication, handover and MDT records; digital records, data protection, telehealth and copy-and-paste risks; documentation during complaints and investigations, including late entries and addendums; reflection, insight and remediation after a documentation lapse; and documentation as a daily habit. Ten sections, the first nine closing with a reflective quiz, a post-course assessment, and a dated certificate from Healthcare Ethics Courses. It is remediation and dated evidence of it; it decides no complaint, and it is not a substitute for advice from your indemnifier, your union or professional body, or a solicitor.

A late entry and an altered record

The course draws a clear line: a transparent late entry is acceptable; a concealed alteration is not. A late entry is labelled as late, with the date, the time and the reason, and leaves the original as it was. An alteration backdates, deletes, overwrites or adds content that implies events happened differently. Electronic records are time-stamped and traceable, so an alteration can be found.

The course takes the same approach to every gap: acknowledge it honestly rather than justify it, and do not read more into sparse notes than they say. An honest omission can be remediated; a record changed to hide one raises a question of honesty as well as of care.

In a written response, quote the record as it is, say what it does not show, and never change it to match your account.

What these words mean

The three terms that decide where a complaint goes, and the words the course is built on.

Preliminary Proceedings Committee: The committee of the Medical Council, NMBI, the PSI and CORU that looks at a complaint before any inquiry: it may take no further action, suggest mediation, conclude the matter with an undertaking or a consent where its Act allows, or refer the complaint to an inquiry. Under the Dentists Act the Fitness to Practise Committee considers whether there is a prima facie case.
Fitness to practise inquiry: The hearing stage: before the Fitness to Practise Committee at the Medical Council, NMBI and the Dental Council, and before the Professional Conduct Committee or the Health Committee at the PSI and CORU. Any sanction heavier than an advice, admonishment or censure takes effect only when the High Court confirms it.
Professional misconduct: A ground under all five Acts — of a complaint under four of them, and of an application for an inquiry under the Dentists Act. The Dental Council describes it as a serious falling short in the standards expected of a dentist; the PSI as behaviour that goes against its Code of Conduct for registered pharmacists; CORU as any act, omission or pattern of conduct that breaches the Code.

Late entries, safety-netting and the other terms the course uses

Contemporaneous record: A record made at the time of care or as soon as practicable afterwards, while the details are fresh and reliable.
Late entry: An addition made after the event, clearly labelled as late, with the date, the time and the reason, leaving the original entry as it was.
Addendum: A clarification added to the record, dated and timed, factual and not defensive.
Backdating: Dating an entry to make it look as if it was written earlier. The course treats it, with deleting or overwriting entries, as never permitted.
Clinical reasoning: The differential diagnoses considered, the factors that influenced a decision and the reasons for excluding options, recorded so that others can follow it.
Safety-netting: The warning signs explained to the patient, when and how to seek further help, and the planned review, recorded in the notes.
Capacity assessment: A record of the decision assessed, whether the patient could understand, retain, weigh and communicate, the supports provided, and the conclusion with its rationale.
Time-stamped records: Electronic records are time-stamped, traceable and easily reviewed in complaints and investigations, so a change made later can be found.
Remediation: Targeted, proportionate, sustained and verifiable steps to prevent a documentation lapse recurring, such as structured templates and audits of records.

The Acts a complaint is made and decided under

Ireland’s five health regulators each work under their own Act, all five amended by the Regulated Professions (Health and Social Care) (Amendment) Act 2020. These are the sections that say who may complain, on what grounds, and who looks at the complaint first.

Medical Council — Medical Practitioners Act 2007, section 57

A person, including the Council, may complain to the chief executive officer. The grounds include professional misconduct, poor professional performance, a relevant medical disability, and a failure to comply with a condition, an undertaking or a consent. The chief executive officer looks at the complaint first, an Authorised Officer may gather the facts, and the Preliminary Proceedings Committee decides whether there is enough cause to take further action. Read it.

For this course: An Authorised Officer may obtain records; Section 7 covers reviewing your records after a complaint without altering them.

NMBI — Nurses and Midwives Act 2011, section 55

A person, including the Board, may complain to the chief executive officer. The grounds include professional misconduct, poor professional performance, non-compliance with a code of professional conduct, a relevant medical disability, and an irregularity in relation to the custody, prescription or supply of a controlled drug. A Preliminary Proceedings Committee, assisted by a case officer, may refer a complaint to the Fitness to Practise Committee for a sworn oral inquiry. Read it.

For this course: Section 5 covers handover documentation, and Section 4 consent and capacity records.

Dental Council — Dentists Act 1985, section 38

The Council or any person may apply to the Fitness to Practise Committee for an inquiry, on grounds that include alleged professional misconduct and alleged unfitness to practise by reason of physical or mental disability. The Fitness to Practise Committee considers whether there is a prima facie case, and if there is, it holds the inquiry. Read it.

For this course: Section 4 covers consent documentation, and why a signed form is not enough without notes of the discussion.

Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland — Pharmacy Act 2007, section 35

A complaint may be made in writing by or on behalf of any person, or by the registrar. The grounds include professional misconduct, poor professional performance, the effect on practice of a physical or mental ailment, emotional disturbance, or alcohol or drug addiction, and a failure to comply with a condition or an undertaking. The PSI separates a concern from a statutory complaint, which is for issues of a serious nature; its Preliminary Proceedings Committee may refer a complaint to a committee of inquiry or to mediation. Read it.

For this course: Section 3 covers medication safety and documentation, and Section 6 electronic records and data protection.

CORU — Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005, section 52

A complaint may be made to the Council by or on behalf of any person, or by a registration board. The grounds include professional misconduct, which CORU describes as any act, omission or pattern of conduct that breaches the Code, and poor professional performance. The Preliminary Proceedings Committee screens out complaints that are trivial, vexatious, without substance or made in bad faith; the Professional Conduct Committee deals with conduct or competence, and the Health Committee with whether a registrant’s health is affecting their ability to practise. Read it.

For this course: Record keeping was a theme in 12% of the cases CORU concluded in 2022 to 2024; Section 8 covers remediation after a lapse.

Also engaged: Sanctions — advice, admonishment or censure, conditions, suspension and cancellation (erasure under the Dentists Act): Medical Practitioners Act s.71, Nurses and Midwives Act s.69, Dentists Act ss.39 to 41, Pharmacy Act s.48, Health and Social Care Professionals Act s.66 · High Court confirmation — the heavier sanctions take effect only when the High Court confirms them; an advice, admonishment or censure on confirmation or once the appeal window of 21 or 30 days passes without an appeal · The 2020 Act — the Regulated Professions (Health and Social Care) (Amendment) Act 2020, which amended all five Acts in stages from 2021 to 2025.

What happens after a complaint reaches an Irish regulator

Each regulator has its own Act and its own names for the stages, and your letter tells you which stage you are at. At each of them the same three things are worth showing in writing: that you see what went wrong, that you understand it against your regulator’s code, and what you have changed, with dated evidence.

The complaint and the grounds
Anyone may complain, including the regulator itself. Under the Medical Practitioners Act and the Nurses and Midwives Act the complaint goes to the chief executive officer; under the Pharmacy Act it may be made by or on behalf of any person or by the registrar; under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act by or on behalf of any person or by a registration board. Under the Dentists Act the Council or any person applies to the Fitness to Practise Committee for an inquiry. Professional misconduct is a ground of complaint under the other four Acts, and a ground for an application for an inquiry under the Dentists Act.
The preliminary stage
The Medical Council, NMBI, the PSI and CORU each have a Preliminary Proceedings Committee. At the Medical Council the chief executive officer looks at a complaint first and may assign an Authorised Officer, and the committee decides whether there is enough cause to take further action. At NMBI the committee may refer a complaint to the Fitness to Practise Committee for a sworn oral inquiry, or suggest mediation or informal resolution; at the PSI it may refer a complaint to a committee of inquiry or to mediation; at CORU it screens out complaints that are trivial, vexatious, without substance or made in bad faith. Under the Dentists Act the Fitness to Practise Committee considers whether there is a prima facie case.
Undertakings, consents and mediation
A complaint can be concluded by agreement in some cases. At the Medical Council’s preliminary stage a doctor may be asked to undertake not to repeat the conduct, or to consent to censure (2025 procedures). At NMBI in 2024, 12 undertakings or consents concluded matters at the preliminary stage and the Fitness to Practise Committee recommended 32 (State of Complaints 2024). Undertakings were the largest single Committee of Inquiry outcome in the cases CORU concluded in 2022 to 2024: 13, against 7 censures (trends report). In 2024 the Dental Council accepted undertakings from a dentist instead of making a High Court application (Annual Report 2024). Mediation at NMBI and CORU needs the consent of both sides.
The inquiry
The inquiry committee is the Fitness to Practise Committee at the Medical Council, NMBI and the Dental Council, and the Professional Conduct Committee or the Health Committee at the PSI and CORU. At NMBI allegations against a nurse or midwife must be proven beyond reasonable doubt. Medical Council inquiries are held in public unless the Council decides on a hearing in private or part private (Medical Council); CORU says its Professional Conduct Committee hearings are normally held in public and its Health Committee hearings normally in private.
The sanction and the High Court
Sanctions run from advice, admonishment or censure (admonishment or censure at the PSI and CORU) through conditions and suspension to cancellation, called erasure under the Dentists Act (MPA s.71, NMA s.69, Dentists Act s.39, Pharmacy Act s.48, HSCP Act s.66). The heavier sanctions take effect only when the High Court confirms them; an advice, admonishment or censure takes effect on confirmation or once the appeal window passes without an appeal: 21 days for doctors, nurses, midwives and dentists, 30 days for pharmacists and CORU registrants (MPA s.74, NMA s.72, Dentists Act s.41, Pharmacy Act s.50, HSCP Act s.68).
Interim measures and your first reply
Separately, the Medical Council says interim suspension is possible under section 60 of the Medical Practitioners Act 2007; where there is a serious and immediate risk, the PSI’s Council can seek suspension from the High Court; and the Dental Council may apply to the High Court for suspension under section 44 of the Dentists Act. None of the five regulators publishes a fixed deadline for a first reply: the Medical Council gives not less than two weeks to respond to an Investigation Report, and NMBI says you may request an extension of time. Take advice before you reply.

Facing a complaint to your regulator or a fitness to practise inquiry? This course helps you remediate — and show it.

Buy this course — €100 (€70 with Bulk Buy 10)

Courses with the Ethics and Professionalism pair written to your own regulator’s code — for doctors, nurses and midwives, dentists, pharmacists and all other healthcare professionals, or every course →

Frequently asked questions

Can I add to the notes now that a complaint has been made?

Do not alter, delete or backdate an existing entry. If something needs to be added, the course says to make a clearly labelled late entry or addendum, with the date, the time and the reason, kept factual and not defensive. Take advice before you add anything to a record that is the subject of a complaint.

I gave the advice but did not record it. What can I say?

Say so honestly. The course says to acknowledge gaps rather than justify them, and to write a response that matches the records without reading more into them than they say — for example, that the records show risks were discussed, although the detail recorded was limited. Section 7 covers responses using records.

Can copy-and-paste or templates lead to a complaint?

They can, where copied text no longer reflects the encounter. The course covers out-of-date information, inaccurate carry-over of findings and inconsistencies across entries, and says to review and edit templates and copied text before saving (Section 6).

I was too busy to write the notes at the time. What should I have done?

The course says time pressure does not justify inaccurate, misleading or absent documentation: record the key findings, decisions, risks and safety-netting promptly, and add a clearly labelled late entry later if needed. It never permits backdating. Section 9 covers managing time pressure.

Should I take advice before I respond?

Yes — before anything is written to the regulator, a committee or your employer. Whatever your profession, ask your indemnifier, your union or professional body, or a solicitor. Nothing on this page is legal advice.

How long does it take, and how long do I have access?

The course is 2 CPD hours, self-paced, with access for twelve months from purchase. The certificate is issued on completion, dated, with the course title and the CPD hours. Whether the hours count towards your own CPD requirement is for your regulator or scheme to say: doctors must undertake a minimum of 50 hours in each scheme year, and CORU registrants must achieve 30 CPD credits in every 12-month period.

Can I get a certificate with a later date?

No. The certificate records the date you completed the course, and that date does not change. If your regulator, an inquiry committee or an employer asks for recent evidence, you buy the course again: half price within twelve months of your original purchase, the full €100 after that.

Will anyone be told that I am taking the course?

No. Nobody is told you are enrolled. We do not share participant details with any regulator, an employer, a union or an indemnifier; the certificate reaches them only if you attach it to your own response.

A complaint about records can raise honesty, candour and communication as well. These are the courses that pair with this one.

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