Student Policies and Regulations

Fitness to Practise

This procedure applies to students and applicants studying professional qualifications where professional standards must be met in order to practise or register within a profession.

This includes students studying programmes in areas such as:

• Social Work
• Nursing
• Non-Medical Prescribing and Advanced Clinical Practice
• PGCE (Wales)
• Policing

What does Fitness to Practise mean?

Fitness to Practise is your ability to meet the professional standards expected of your chosen profession. This can include:

• Professional behaviour and conduct
• Academic and professional competence
• Honesty and integrity
• Health or other circumstances that may affect safe or effective professional practice

When might this procedure be used?

The procedure may be used where concerns are raised about whether a student or applicant meets the professional standards required by:

• A Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Body (PSRB)
• An employer or placement provider
• A sponsor or Independent Route Host
• The Open University

What can happen?

The procedure explains:

• How concerns are considered
• How information may be gathered and shared
• The opportunities you will have to respond
• How decisions are made
• The possible outcomes
• Your rights to seek a review or appeal of a decision

This Fitness to Practise Procedure is available in an alternative format, please contact the Student Support Team via http://www.open.ac.uk, (phone +44 (0)300 303 5303), or your dedicated Student Support Team via StudentHome if you are a current Open University student.

A Welsh language version of the procedure is available.