NICE · UK · Clinical guidance · NG197
Shared decision making
NICE guidance on supporting people to be involved in
decisions about their care. Its recommendations include
tailoring communication to the person and context,
explaining options clearly, supporting understanding
and confirming what has been agreed.
Why it matters here: relevant to patient understanding, explanation,
shared decisions and practical patient-centred communication.
Open official NICE guidance
NMC · UK · Professional standards
The Code
The Nursing and Midwifery Council's Code sets the
professional standards of practice and behaviour that
nurses, midwives and nursing associates must uphold.
It is structured around prioritising people, practising
effectively, preserving safety and promoting
professionalism and trust.
Why it matters here: provides professional expectations relevant to
listening, communication, teamwork, safety and
person-centred professional practice.
Open the NMC Code
GMC · UK · Professional standards
Good medical practice
Good medical practice sets out the professional
principles, values and standards expected of doctors,
physician associates and anaesthesia associates
registered with the GMC. It includes partnership and
communication with patients, working with colleagues,
professional culture and patient safety.
Why it matters here: provides a UK professional-practice reference for
patient communication, teamwork, informed decisions,
workplace culture and raising safety concerns.
Open GMC Good medical practice
HCPC · UK · Professional standards
Standards of conduct, performance and ethics
The HCPC standards set expectations for registrants
across the health and care professions it regulates.
They include working in partnership with service users
and carers, communicating appropriately and effectively,
managing risk and raising concerns.
Why it matters here: broadens the collection beyond medicine and nursing
and provides a multidisciplinary professional reference
relevant to allied health and care professions.
Open HCPC standards
NHS England · UK · Patient safety framework
Patient Safety Incident Response Framework
PSIRF sets out the NHS approach to developing and
maintaining systems and processes for responding to
patient-safety incidents for the purpose of learning
and improving patient safety. Supporting guidance
addresses proportionate responses, oversight and
engagement with people affected by incidents.
Why it matters here: places communication within the wider context of
systems, organisational culture, learning and patient safety.
Open NHS England PSIRF
HSSIB · UK · Safety investigation · 2025
Workforce and patient safety:
electronic communications on patient discharge from acute hospitals
This HSSIB investigation explored patient-safety risks
associated with communication of critical clinical
information when patients leave acute hospital inpatient
settings and ongoing actions transfer to primary and
community care.
Why it matters here: provides system-level safety learning about transitions
of care, information flow, follow-up and communication
across organisational boundaries.
Open HSSIB investigation
WHO · Global · Patient safety strategy
Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021-2030
The World Health Organization's action plan provides
strategic direction for countries, healthcare organisations
and other stakeholders seeking to reduce avoidable harm
and improve patient safety.
Why it matters here: provides a global patient-safety context and helps
avoid presenting UK standards as though they apply
universally across healthcare systems.
Open WHO action plan
Medical Board of Australia · Australia · Professional standard
Good medical practice:
a code of conduct for doctors in Australia
The Medical Board of Australia's code describes
principles and standards of ethical and professional
conduct expected of doctors registered to practise
medicine in Australia.
Why it matters here: provides a healthcare-system-specific professional
reference for doctors moving into Australian practice
rather than assuming UK standards transfer unchanged.
Open Australian medical code
Medical Council of New Zealand · New Zealand · Professional standard
Good medical practice
The Medical Council of New Zealand's Good medical
practice statement sets out principles, values and
standards expected of doctors in their professional behaviour.
Why it matters here: supports comparison of professional expectations
across English-speaking healthcare systems relevant
to internationally mobile clinicians.
Open New Zealand standard
NMBI · Ireland · Professional standard · 2025
Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics
The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland's current
Code applies to registered nurses and midwives and
incorporates professional conduct, scope of practice
and professional guidance. The revised Code came into
effect in February 2025.
Why it matters here: provides a current nursing and midwifery reference
from another English-speaking healthcare system,
including collaboration and leadership alongside
safe and person-centred professional practice.
Open NMBI Code
Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada · Canada · Competency framework
CanMEDS 2015 Physician Competency Framework
CanMEDS is an educational framework describing
abilities physicians require to meet the healthcare
needs of the people they serve. The 2015 framework
includes Communicator and Collaborator roles, with
explicit attention to patient-centred communication,
collaboration, handovers and care transitions.
Why it matters here: provides an established Canadian competency framework
in which communication and collaboration are explicit
components of physician competence.
Open CanMEDS framework
