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NHS: Disciplinary Proceedings

Asked by Tom MorrisonLiberal DemocratDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 10 September 2025UIN 72071

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all NHS Trusts allow accompaniment in any meeting where disciplinary action or dismissal is a potential outcome.

Answered by Karin Smyth

It is a statutory requirement that all workers are entitled to be accompanied by a work colleague or a trade union representative or official at any disciplinary hearing. This right applies to all National Health Service staff and is set out in the handbook to the NHS Constitution for England.

Where the outcome of a hearing could result in the worker’s professional career being put at risk, they can request to be accompanied by a legal representative.

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