Consultation on Professional Regulation Robert Farley & Gill Cresswell Healthcare Science Subgroup

Current situation 38 professions and 9 regulators – total operating cost £288 million > 1.5 million registered professionals / premises Regulators overseen by the Professional Standards Authority Different regulators for some professions in different parts of uk HCPC 2nd largest regulator with > 340,000 registrants Different approaches and systems by the different regulators Considerable variation in registration fees @NHS_HealthEdEng #insertcampaignhashtag

Background Law Commissions’ comprehensive review of legal framework in 2014 Government response to review 2015 Pre-consultation events in 2016 identified three key themes: protecting the public; responsive regulation; and efficient regulation.

Background PSA sets out proposals in Regulation Rethought in 2016, including: single register for all professions; common standards; shared approach to fitness to practise; a new approach to education; co-operative working and sharing of data with other organisations; and cost effectiveness

2017 / 2018 Children & Social Work Act 2017 prepares way for regulatory reform by establishing a new body Social Work England. Consultation on Professional reform opened (closing date 23rd January) Can be completed online or by using attached response sheet.

The Consultation Encompasses all four UK governments Aims to: “design a more responsive model of professional regulation which can swiftly adapt to changing patterns of healthcare, develop new roles and new ways of working without the need for frequent legislative change; establish clear criteria to assess which level of professional regulatory oversight is appropriate for different professional groups; consider whether the current number and set up of healthcare regulatory bodies is delivering effective and efficient public protection; ensure that regulatory bodies have a consistent and flexible range of powers that allow them to take a prompt and proportionate approach to concerns about an individual’s fitness to practise; enable regulators, working with professional bodies and others, to better support professionalism among registered groups and to provide assurance on an ongoing basis that practitioners are competent and up to date; and increase joint-working, sharing functions and services between the regulators.”

The consultation Comprises 24 questions Looks at 4 main areas protecting the public; responsive regulation; efficient regulation; impact assessment; and equality analysis.

Protecting the public Role of PSA Use of prohibition orders Reduction in number of regulators (3 or 4) Reassessment of registered professions

Responsive Regulation Role of PSA in setting standards Powers for resolving fitness to practise Use of mediation in fitness to practise Supporting professionalism Education & approval of courses Revalidation

Efficient Regulation Costs Joint working Shared register Generic standards Data sharing with other organisations (e.g. employers) Governance Fees

Impact & Equality Assessments How do you measure the effects on public protection and patient safety?

Responding to the consultation Allow plenty of time and read the guidance Note: some, seemingly similar, questions phrased differently from the guidance! Suggest responding using the questionnaire as several questions online are restricted to agree or disagree Think carefully about the wider implications – incorporate clarification into your answers

Finally… Be aware of publications and the arguments from other organisations…