Legal
Conflicts of interest
Last updated: August 2026.
Why this policy exists
Every Blip clinician holds, or has held, a substantive NHS post. Several continue to work in the NHS alongside their work with Blip. That experience is the reason our clinical standards are what they are, and it also creates a boundary that has to be managed openly rather than left to individual judgement.
The referrals we will not accept
No Blip clinician will accept a referral for a young person who is open to, or on the waiting list of, the NHS service where that clinician holds a substantive post, or any NHS service that clinician is professionally connected with through their NHS role. Where an enquiry of that kind reaches us, the case is either allocated to a different clinician with no connection to that service, or declined. We tell the family why.
How we screen for it
Every enquiry is asked at the point of triage whether the young person is open to or waiting for an NHS mental health service, and which service. The answer is recorded before any clinician is allocated. Allocation is made by the Registered Manager or, where the Registered Manager is the potential conflict, by the other director.
Referral decisions inside the NHS
No Blip clinician takes any part in an NHS referral or triage decision that concerns Blip. A Blip clinician acting in their NHS role will not name Blip to a referrer, a colleague, or a family. Where they are asked directly, they pass the question to a colleague and record that they have done so.
Information
No Blip clinician uses information obtained through an NHS role to identify, contact or approach any family, at any time. This applies whether or not that family would otherwise be eligible for our service.
Declarations
Blip clinicians who hold a substantive NHS post declare their role with Blip to their NHS employer in writing. Those declarations are also made to the Care Quality Commission and Healthcare Inspectorate Wales as part of registration.
Raising a concern
If you believe a conflict of interest has arisen or has not been handled properly, contact us at governance@blip.org.uk. Concerns are reviewed by the director who is not the subject of the concern, and the outcome is given in writing.
Referring a patient?
Our referral criteria, including what we do not accept, are set out for professionals.
Information for GPs and referrers →