Reflection and Personal Wellbeing

Reflection links values to how we act under pressure. The aim is small, useful changes – like slightly adjusting schedules, protecting breaks more firmly, or having a clearer way to ask for help.^[1]

A quick cycle that fits busy days

Describe a real moment that showed you were under strain.^[1]

Think about what added to the pressure and how it affected safety and care.^[3]

Plan one change, set a date to review it, and note the result.^[1]

Share what you’ve learned with a trusted colleague where possible.^[2]

Everyday goals that last

• Practical steps: protect a proper lunch break; leave five minutes at the end of clinic; ask for a buddy after leave; use a checklist for complex dispensing.^[6][7]
• Peer rhythm: short, regular chats in supervision or team huddles make it normal to talk about limits and share approaches that work.^[4][8]

Protecting patients by knowing your own limits

If you feel your health, judgement, behaviour or character could put patients at risk, you should pause practice straight away and get advice before continuing.

This might mean stopping a clinic if tiredness or burnout makes practice unsafe, or stepping back if illness or medication affects focus. Recording these decisions and seeking occupational health or professional advice shows accountability and protects patients as well as the profession.

Feeding learning back into systems

When the same issues keep cropping up – such as urgent walk-ins clashing with packed schedules – feed what you’ve learned back into how rotas and schedules are planned. Locums and new starters benefit from “what I wish I’d known” notes that reduce uncertainty and help them settle safely.^[5]

Light, clear records

Keep reflections anonymous if they involve patients, and store health details privately. If a reflection leads to a change that affects patients, add a short governance note saying who authorised it, what changed, when it starts, and why it helps safety.^[3][5]

• Two accountability tools: a one-page wellbeing plan; and a visible “I need a hand” signal agreed by the team so support can come quickly.^[4]

References (numbered in text) Why we include references

1. Keeping a reflective learning portfolio — The College of Optometrists Find (opens in a new tab)
2. Reflective exercise — General Optical Council Find (opens in a new tab)
3. The reflective practitioner - guidance for doctors and medical students — General Medical Council Find (opens in a new tab)
4. Improving patient safety culture – a practical guide — NHS England Find (opens in a new tab)
5. Patient Safety Incident Response Framework — NHS England Find (opens in a new tab)
6. Louise H Hall; Judith Johnson; Ian Watt; Daryl B O'Connor. Could breaks reduce general practitioner burnout and improve safety? A daily diary study — PLoS One Find (opens in a new tab)
7. Self-checking guidance — Royal Pharmaceutical Society Find (opens in a new tab)
8. Esther Flanagan; Raymond Chadwick; Joanna Goodrich; Christy Ford; Rebecca Wickens. Reflection for all healthcare staff: A national evaluation of Schwartz Rounds — Journal of Interprofessional Care Find (opens in a new tab)