Draft document — pending legal sign-off
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Governance
Chaperone Policy
At Innate Healthcare, all patients have the right to have a chaperone present during any clinical assessment or treatment. This page explains how to request one and what their role involves.
Your right to a chaperone
Innate Healthcare supports the use of chaperones for all clinical procedures. A chaperone is a trained third party who can be present during intimate or sensitive examinations and treatments at your request, or at the request of the treating practitioner.
Having a chaperone present is entirely your choice. Declining to have one will not affect the standard of care you receive.
What is a chaperone?
A chaperone is a member of staff who is present during a clinical interaction to:
- Provide reassurance and support to the patient
- Observe the procedure to protect both patient and practitioner
- Maintain professional boundaries
- Act as an impartial witness in the event of a concern
Chaperones do not participate in the treatment itself. They observe and reassure.
How to request a chaperone
- Tell us when you book your appointment — we will arrange for a trained chaperone to be available
- Ask the receptionist on arrival
- Ask your practitioner at any point before or during a session
If a trained chaperone is not immediately available, your appointment may be rescheduled or a same-sex practitioner arranged.
Who can act as a chaperone?
Chaperones at Innate Healthcare are trained members of clinic staff. In most cases, this will be a receptionist or another clinical staff member. Family members or friends may be present for personal support but do not fulfil the role of a formal chaperone.
Chaperone responsibilities
All trained chaperones at Innate Healthcare:
- Have received safeguarding awareness training
- Understand the nature and purpose of the procedure
- Maintain strict confidentiality
- Know how to report a concern if they observe behaviour that gives them cause for concern
Practitioner-initiated chaperones
Practitioners may also request a chaperone to be present. This is a professional judgement and is not an indication of any concern about the patient.
Concerns
If you have any concern about how a chaperone conducted themselves, please raise it with the clinic manager or follow our Patient Complaints & Feedback Procedure.
This document was drafted as a starting point and must be reviewed and approved by a qualified solicitor or GDPR specialist before publication. Do not publish without written legal sign-off.
