Keep on top of records, students told

  Medical students in England and Wales are reminded to keep an eye on the status of their record checks for clinical placements. Students need a valid DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) certificate to cover all work in NHS hospitals and GP practices. The BMA medical students committee has been alerted to cases in which students have taken a year out and returned to third-year clinical placements unaware that their certificates were out of date. Although there is no official expiry date on DBS checks — formerly the Criminal Records Bureau — individual organisations or employers generally require they are updated every three years. The DBS has an update service which, for an annual fee, informs subscribers of when they need to update their certificates. MSC co-chair Charlie Bell (pictured) said: ‘Medical students have busy schedules and there are many administrative duties associated with our studies and clinical placements. 'We would urge students to make a note of certificate expiry dates or subscribe to the DBS automatic update notifications to ensure their certificates are up to date.’ Sign up for the DBS reminder service
Source: BMA News - Category: UK Health Source Type: news