Ensuring Dignity and Non-Discrimination as Healthcare Professionals

About this course

Every patient has the right to be treated with dignity and without discrimination. These rights are set out in the Equality Act 2010, the Human Rights Act 1998, the NHS Constitution and the standards of every UK healthcare regulator. Yet inequalities persist: the MBRRACE-UK report published in 2025 found that Black women in the UK were still more than twice as likely as White women to die during or after pregnancy, and many patients report experiences of disrespect, being disbelieved or being treated differently because of who they are.

This course explains what dignity and non-discrimination mean in practice, how discrimination and bias arise, the legal and regulatory framework, the role of communication, how to respond to breaches, and how to develop your practice. It addresses both patients and colleagues, because respect and fairness in the workplace are inseparable from the quality of care.

CPD Value and How to Record It:

This course is designed to provide approximately 2 hours of learning, including reading, the reflection points, the reflective account and the assessment. In the UK, CPD is generally recorded as the time actually spent learning, so you should record the time you genuinely spend, which may be more or less than the estimate.

How the course fits your revalidation or CPD requirements depends on your regulator. For example, the NMC asks nurses, midwives and nursing associates to record 35 hours of CPD over three years, of which at least 20 must be participatory; self-directed online learning such as this course usually counts as individual learning unless you complete it with others. The GMC expects doctors to reflect on CPD for appraisal and revalidation rather than setting a fixed number of hours. The HCPC, GDC, GPhC, GOC, GOsC and GCC each set their own CPD requirements, so check the current rules that apply to you. Always keep your certificate together with your written reflection.

What you will learn

• Explain why dignity and non-discrimination matter in healthcare.
• Apply patient-centred care, privacy and compassion to protect dignity.
• Recognise direct, indirect and unconscious discrimination and health inequalities.
• Describe the Equality Act 2010, Human Rights Act 1998 and regulators' standards.
• Communicate with dignity, including in conflict and when giving difficult news.
• Respond to breaches and demonstrate insight and remediation.
• Build inclusive environments for patients and colleagues.

Who this course is for

All UK healthcare professionals, including those responding to a concern about dignity, respect or discrimination.

Social workers: this cross-profession course covers principles that apply across health and social care; most worked examples come from healthcare settings.

Course content

11 sections · 2 CPD hours · 15 MCQs

Course facts

CPD value

Approximately 2 CPD hours (estimated learning time, including reflection and assessment)

Format

Self-paced reading with case illustrations, reflection points and a written reflective account

Standards covered

Equality Act 2010 including the Public Sector Equality Duty; Human Rights Act 1998; CQC Regulation 10 (dignity and respect); NHS Constitution; Accessible Information Standard; regulators' standards on respect and non-discrimination

Assessment

15 scenario-based multiple-choice questions; pass mark 12 out of 15 (80%)

Questions about this course