Safeguarding

Safeguarding policy

How MD Acumen protects learners, and the patients, children and adults at risk whom learners meet in observership and clinical teaching, and how to raise a concern.

Last reviewed 7 October 2026 · Next review 7 April 2027

If someone is in immediate danger

Call 999. On a placement, also tell the duty clinician or the surgery's safeguarding lead straight away. Then tell MD Acumen's safeguarding lead, as below. Do not wait for this policy's other steps.

Our commitment

Scope and principles

Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. This policy applies to MD Acumen Ltd, its faculty and staff, and every learner on our courses, live classes and placements. It covers:

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Learners — medical students, international medical graduates and doctors in training, including students far from home on a UK observership, who may themselves be vulnerable.
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Patients encountered in clinical teaching — including children and adults at risk whom observership students meet in host NHS surgeries.
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People in our online spaces — anyone attending a live class or using a form or service we run.

We act in line with the Children Act 1989 and 2004, the Care Act 2014, statutory guidance including Working Together to Safeguard Children, and the GMC's guidance on protecting children and young people and on adult safeguarding. The welfare of the child or adult at risk is paramount.

Who to contact

The named safeguarding lead

Prof Rajesh Varma

Director, MD Acumen Ltd · Designated safeguarding lead

Email enquiry@mdacumen.com with "Safeguarding — confidential" in the subject line. Safeguarding emails are read by the Director and are not shared beyond those who need to know.

On placement

Observership and clinical teaching

Observership students work inside NHS general practices. Each host surgery's own safeguarding policies and procedures apply while you are on its premises or working with its patients, and the surgery's safeguarding lead is your first point of contact there.

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Within the observership boundary. Students observe only, under supervision. They do not take histories or examine patients independently, and they are never alone with a patient. Intimate examinations are observed only with the patient's consent and with a chaperone present, in line with the surgery's chaperone policy.
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Consent to observe. Patients are asked by the clinician whether they agree to a student being present, and may decline without giving a reason.
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Confidentiality. Every student signs a confidentiality undertaking before placement. Safeguarding information is shared only through the proper channels, never on social media, messaging groups or in teaching materials.
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Induction. Safeguarding of children and adults at risk is covered in the placement induction and the academic seminar programme.

If you see or hear something on placement that worries you about a patient, child or adult: tell your supervising GP or the surgery's safeguarding lead the same day. Do not investigate yourself, and do not promise anyone that you will keep a disclosure secret. Then inform MD Acumen's safeguarding lead so that we can support you.

Raising a concern

How to raise a concern

1

Make people safe

If anyone is in immediate danger, call 999. On placement, tell the duty clinician or surgery safeguarding lead at once.

2

Tell the right person

On placement: the surgery's safeguarding lead. Anywhere else, including a concern about a learner, a member of our faculty, or something in a live class: MD Acumen's safeguarding lead, by email as above.

3

Record what you saw or heard

Write down the facts as soon as you can: what was said or seen, when, and who was present, using the person's own words where possible.

4

We act and refer

The safeguarding lead will acknowledge your concern, decide what action is needed, and refer to the local authority's children's or adult social care services, or the police, where the threshold is met. Where the concern relates to a placement, we work with the host surgery and the student's home university.

Learners

Looking after our learners

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Wellbeing. Observership students have a named programme coordinator as their pastoral first point of contact, with escalation to the host lead and their home university. If you feel unsafe, or are struggling, please tell us.
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Respect online. Live classes use booked-only entry, a waiting room and a locked meeting. Harassment, discrimination or abuse of any participant is not tolerated, and we will remove anyone who behaves in that way.
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Concerns about our faculty or staff. Report them to the safeguarding lead. If your concern is about the Director, contact the local authority designated officer (LADO), or the relevant professional regulator, directly.
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Fitness to practise. Where a concern raises a question about a learner's or clinician's fitness to practise, we may need to inform their medical school or the GMC.
Information sharing

Confidentiality and data

We keep safeguarding records securely and separately from course records, and share them only where it is necessary and proportionate to protect someone from harm, in line with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Data protection law does not prevent the sharing of information to keep a child or adult safe. See our Privacy notice.

This policy is reviewed at least once a year, and after any serious incident.

Related pages

🩺 Observership: students 🏥 Host surgeries ✉️ Complaints ⚖️ Legal & Regulatory