The role of a regulator in learning and development

Mark Potter - Stakeholder Communications Manager

29 February 2012, AHP Conference

Overview

• About the Health Professions Council (HPC)

• Developments at the HPC

• Setting standards

• Consultation and professional involvement

• Continuing professional development

Health Professions Council

• Independent UK statutory regulator of 15 professions

• Derives powers from Health Professions Order 2001

• Purpose is “to safeguard the health and well-being of persons using or needing the services of registrants” – Article 3(4)

• Separate role from professional bodies and trade unions

HPC Register, January 2012

219,000 registrants from 15 professions

Physio

ther

apis

ts

Occupat

ional

ther

apis

ts

Radio

grapher

s

Biom

edic

al s

cien

tists

Param

edic

s

Pract

itioner

psy

cholo

gists

Speech

and la

nguage

ther

apis

ts

Chiropodis

ts / p

odiatri

sts

Operat

ing d

epar

tmen

t pra

ctiti

oners

Dietit

ians

Clinic

al s

cien

tists

Arts th

erap

ists

Hearin

g aid

dis

pense

rs

Orthoptis

ts

Prost

hetis

ts / o

rthotis

ts0

5,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00050,000

Developments

Regulation of 85,000 social workers in England

• Likely start date 1 August 2012

• New name – ‘Health and Care Professions Council’

Regulation of further professions

• Herbal medicine and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners

• Adult social care workforce in England

• Powers to establish voluntary Registers

Processes and standards

The Register

Consultation

• Normally consult for 3 months

• Information posted online in dedicated ‘consultations’ section of website

• Also sent to consultation list of over 300 interested organisations.

• Certain consultations (ie: CPD, fees) may go out to all registrants

• We may also hold a series of meetings.

• Respond to other peoples’ consultations

Professional input

• 703 ‘Partners’ working across six partner roles

• Professionals and lay persons

• Provide expertise for good decision-making

• Education, registration, fitness to practise

• Council and Committees

• ETC – each profession represented

• Professional Liaison Groups (PLGs)

Current programme of work

• Consultation on student fitness to practise and registration

• Service user involvement in education

• Forthcoming changes to the standards of proficiency

• Alternative mechanisms to resolve disputes

• Professionalism in health and care professionals

CPD standards

A registrant must:

1. maintain a continuous, up-to-date and accurate record of their CPD activities;

2. demonstrate that their CPD activities are a mixture of learning activities relevant to current and future practice;

3. seek to ensure that their CPD has contributed to the quality of their practice and service delivery;

4. seek to ensure that their CPD benefits the service user;

5. upon request, present a written profile (which must be their own work and supported by evidence) explaining how they have met the standards for CPD.

Activities and evidence

• Work-based learning (eg in-service training, reflective practice)

• Professional activity (eg mentoring, professional body involvement)

• Formal / educational (eg courses, conferences, research)

• Self-directed learning (eg reading journals and books, internet research)

• Other (eg voluntary work, public service)

Audit results from May 2008 – January 2012

Accepted 6,464 79%

Deferred 732 9%

Deregistered (voluntary) 348 4%

Deregistered (lapsed) 320 3%

Under assessment 329 4%

Appeal 1 <0.1%

Removed 20 <0.1%

Total 8,214

Contribution of CPD to public protection

• Ensures that registrants demonstrate a commitment to updating knowledge and skills

• Outcome-based audit encourages self-reflection and understanding of own learning needs

• Demonstrates that regulator is proactively monitoring

• Compliments existing processes – renewal / fitness to practise

• Failure to comply = removal from Register

Resources and information

Sample profiles

Audio-visual presentations

CPD guides

Finding out more and getting in touch

www.hpc-uk.org

registration@hpc-uk.org

0845 3004472 (lo-call)

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