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The Safe Learning Environment Charter (SLEC) was created in response to healthcare learners’ feedback on their clinical experiences in maternity services, as highlighted in the Kirkup (2015 and 2022) and Ockenden (2020 and 2022) reports.
The Charter supports the development of positive safety cultures and continuous learning across all NHS learning environments. It is underpinned by principles of equality, diversity and inclusion, which form the golden thread running through all areas of the Charter.
Developed with more than 2,482 learners, educators and key stakeholders in health education, the Charter is designed for learners and those supporting placement learning across all professions. It is aligned to the NHS People Promise in recognition that learners are vital to the workforce and are included in the promises we must all make to each other to improve everyone’s experience of working in the NHS.
The Charter sets out ten key domains of a supportive learning environment:
Together, these domains help create safe, inclusive and empowering environments where learners can become skilled, compassionate and well-rounded professionals delivering high-quality care.
This page is for university practice partners and students who would like to understand what SLEC is, why it matters and how it can support learning in practice settings.
Students and practice partners experience the impact of placement culture every day. Safe and inclusive learning environments improve confidence, wellbeing, retention and patient care. The charter helps organisations strengthen learner experiences, support future workforce development and align with NHS values such as the People Promise and patient safety priorities.
Students can use the charter to reflect on placement experiences, understand what good supervision looks like, build confidence to speak up, and support their own wellbeing during training.
Practice partners can use the charter to review placement environments, strengthen supervision, improve learner induction, promote inclusion and wellbeing, and share best practice across organisations.
People Promise