Ethical Practices in the Provision of Guidance by Further Education Health Care Tutors who hold a Nursing, Midwifery or Health Visiting Qualification

This paper seeks to establish what constitutes ethical practice in the provision of guidance by Further Education health care tutors who hold a nursing, midwifery or health visiting qualification and are therefore bound by the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting (UKCC) Code of Professional Conduct. It considers potential ethical dilemmas which such tutors may encounter during guidance activities, in the context of the UKCC standards and the five key ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice and veracity. Whilst these professional standards and principles may appear to provide a comprehensive foundation for ethical guidance practice, in reality they fail to offer clear support in the resolution of many of the ethical dilemmas that face health care tutors undertaking guidance work. Since guidance provided by such tutors may not be fully impartial, the importance of 'ethical sensitivity' and ethical decision-making skills are also highlighted.