VFPMS team members must adhere to workplace policies and procedures at all times

• Responsiveness
• On call
• Consent
• Documentation
• Examinations
• Reports
• Leave
• QA and Peer review
• Court

VFPMS team members must adhere to workplace policies and procedures at all times.

All data collection and data entry must be completed promptly and accurately.

Responsiveness

• Reply promptly to all telephone messages within 24 hours at the latest.
• All inpatient assessments should be performed within 24 hours. (This is a KPI).

ON CALL

• Doctors must be available to respond promptly (within 10 minutes) to telephone enquiries at all times that they are on call.
• Doctors should (except in an exceptional circumstance) be able to attend a hospital to see a child within two hours of initial contact. (This is a KPI).
• For inpatients, document the interim forensic opinion/recommendations and promptly discuss the VFPMS consultation with the General Medical Consultant.
• For children seen in Emergency Department, discuss the evaluation and management of children with the ED Consultant or Registrar.

Consent

• Examination must not proceed in the absence of valid consent and (where relevant) assent.
• Consent must be documented.
• Ideally, this should be in writing and detail the precise nature of the actions for which consent is provided. When consent is provided verbally or consent has been obtained by another professional, this too must be documented.
• The Gillick principle may apply for mature minors. The use of the VFPMS 'mature minors consent form' to document consent provided by mature minors is strongly recommended.

Documentation

• Contemporaneous notes must always be prepared for each face to face consultation and whenever advice is provided (face to face, telehealth, via telephone or email).
• Descriptions of physical examination findings should always be included. Diagrams are a useful adjunct to detailed descriptions. Photographs are an even more useful adjunct.
• Use of the proforma is strongly encouraged.
  
• Never alter, backdate, destroy, or otherwise interfere with patient related documents.
• Maintain the integrity of the patient records at all times. Don’t write anything inappropriate, critical or discriminatory. Work notes can be subpoenaed and examined in court.

Examinations

• Consider the appropriate use of a chaperone or support person (and act in accordance with local hospital guidelines and protocols).
• Always wear gloves for examination of genitalia (male and female).
• All measures should be taken to minimise discomfort and prevent pain (e.g. moisten cotton tipped swabs, use warm water to lubricate speculum).

Reports

• A report must be prepared for each child seen.
• ALL reports must be read by a supervisor BEFORE release from the VFPMS.
• Reports should be completed in the shortest possible time. A delay of more than 2 weeks is usually not acceptable. (This is a KPI).

Leave

• All requests for leave should be made with adequate notice.
• Time in lieu may be approved under limited circumstances with agreement from the Director.
• Leave must be approved prior to taking leave. (Otherwise absence is considered abandonment of one’s job – this could have very significant consequences on one’s employment!)

QA and Peer review

• A minimum of four peer review sessions must be attended each year. (This is a KPI).
• All abnormal video/DVD colposcopy findings and all abnormal clinical examination findings must be reviewed by at least one senior specialist (preferably subjected to peer review).
• All staff must participate in annual staff appraisal.

Court

• Always respond appropriately to subpoenas. This might include telephoning the person who subpoenaed you.
• Always inform a VFPMS Nurse Manager of a subpoena, particularly when a subpoena may result in an anticipated absence from VFPMS clinic. 
• Attend court as required. Be prepared. Seek advice.
• Always inform the courts of any proposed absences from work e.g. annual leave.