An update on the Health Professions Council Rachel Tripp – the Hospital Physicists’ Association Conference November 2 nd 2007

Today’s presentation About the HPC CPD standards The White Paper

What are the underlying principles of professional regulation in the UK? Self regulation Professionally led Statutory regulation UK model - Protection of Title vs Function Independent of government

HPC’s main objective “ To safeguard the health and well-being of persons using or needing the services of registrants” Health Professions Order 2001 Article 3 (4)

How do we achieve this? Register Standards Fitness to Practice Communications

Regulator must be separate and independent Trade Association Professional Body RegulatorGovernment

Complementary roles Professional Body - Learned Society - Promotion and development of profession - Curriculum framework Trade Association - Terms & conditions Regulator - Sets and maintains standards - Approves programmes - Keeps a register - Fitness to Practise - Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

182,000 registrants,13 Professions

Standards Standards of Proficiency Standards of conduct, performance and ethics Standards of Education and Training Standards for CPD

Fitness to Practise process Allegation Mediation Interim Orders Interim Orders Health Conduct & Competence Conduct & Competence Investigation

HPC’s role within a wider context Healthcare Commission report on trends in complaints January 2007, 16,000 complaints received over 2 years What do patients want? - Better explanation of what went wrong 33% - Service improvements 23% - An apology10% - The event acknowledged9% - Action against staff8% - The same thing not to happen again8%

Continuing Professional Development and HPC Standards (5) introduced in July 2005 HPC requires all professionals to undertake CPD on a regular basis Audit will begin in July 2008

Standards of CPD Maintain up-to-date record – in whatever format is helpful Mixture of activities relevant to current or future practice Contributes to quality of practice Benefits service user Standards – CPD... Ref:HPC/MJS/HPC/Oct 2007

CPD audit process Profile Statement of current practice Description of how CPD meets standards Assessed by at least two CPD Assessors Met / not met / further information Further 3 months if required Can have registration lapsed Subject to appeals process

CPD – finding out more Your guide to the HPC’s CPD standards Continuing Professional Development and registration Sample profiles

‘Trust, assurance and safety: the regulation of health professionals in the 21 st century’ Background to the White Paper’s publication: The Shipman report The Donaldson review of medical regulation The ‘Foster review’ of non-medical regulation The White Paper – February 2005

Key messages in the White Paper  Affirmation of the vast majority of health professionals  Need to make systemic changes alongside regulation reforms - e.g. clinical governance, coroner’s systems, death certification systems, controlled drugs, complaints systems

White Paper reforms to regulation Greater consistency between regulators Fitness to practise processes Standard of proof Common standards?

Improving the structure of the regulators Appointed Council members Smaller Councils Separation of strategic function from decision-making White Paper reforms to regulation

Revalidation Positive demonstration of fitness to practise every 5 years 3 groups Employees of an approved body – part of appraisal and management systems Self-employed contractors – revalidation in collaboration between NHS commissioner and regulator Others – revalidation carried out by the regulator White Paper reforms to regulation

Revalidation – key questions Risk? Standards? Assessment against those standards? Cost? Set up a professional liaison group (PLG) to look at continuing fitness to practise more broadly. Also looking at post-registration qualifications and marking the Register. White Paper reforms to regulation

Regulation of aspirant groups No additional regulators – new groups normally be regulated by HPC Psychologists, healthcare scientists, psychotherapists and counsellors Also mentioned the regulation of acupuncture, traditional chinese medicine and herbal medicine Establishing a working group to look at regulation of other groups, including criteria and priorities White Paper reforms to regulation

Any questions ?