In Focus. Important renewal information for operating department practitioners. and social workers

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1 In Focus The Health and Care Professions Council Newsletter Issue 43 October 2012 Inside this issue Page Important renewal information for operating department practitioners and social workers We have written to all registered operating department practitioners and social workers in England to invite them to renew their registration and pay their fee securely and quickly using our online system. You can also change your address and other contact details, and download a direct debit instruction if you wish to spread the cost of registration. Registrants from both professions need to renew their registration and pay their fee by 6pm on 30 November To access the system, log on to the HCPC website at and click on the renew your registration online link. You will need to activate your online account before you can use the system. To do this you will need the activation code which was sent to you at the end of August. Once activated, you will be able to access the system using your authentication code which was also sent to you at the end of August. Alternatively, if you have requested a paper renewal form, be sure to return it to us (with your payment if applicable) well before the deadline. The average processing time for paper renewal applications is approximately ten working days, although this will vary depending on the volume of forms we receive. The Register is in real-time so, once you have renewed, our online Register will immediately show your new registration dates. This is the best way for you to check you have successfully renewed your registration. Employers may also find our multiple registrant search tool useful to check the status of up to 100 individuals at a time. More information We have several resources to help ensure you stay registered. For a free renewal reminder poster for all of the professions we regulate, publications@hcpc-uk.org or call the Communications Department on +44 (0) Like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter for registration renewal reminders. If you or a team member do not already subscribe to this newsletter, sign up by ing newsletter@hcpc-uk.org (continues over) Welcome from the Editor 1 Important renewal information for operating department practitioners and social workers 1 Social worker renewal promotion 2 Give us your feedback 2 Information Events for social workers 3 Consultation on service user involvement in education and training programmes 4 Consultation on independent prescribing for chiropodists / podiatrists and physiotherapists 4 Focus on raising and escalating concerns 5 Education annual report published 6 Conferences and exhibitions come and meet us 7 Recruitment 8 Dates for your diary 9 Contact us 9 Alternative formats 9 Welcome to issue 43 of HCPC In Focus. Along with operating department practitioners, social workers in England are currently renewing their registration. They are the largest of the professions we regulate and the most recent to join our Register. You can find more information on this page about registration renewal or turn to page 2 for details of some of the materials what we have produced to help promote social worker registration renewal, including electronic and hard-copy flyers and an online interview with our Chief Executive. Failure to renew by 30 November 2012 will mean that professionals will no longer be able practise using the protected title social worker. In this issue you will also find reports on recent events (page 3) and details of forthcoming events (page 7) and information on current consultations (page 4). Our Focus on article looks at the issue of raising and escalating concerns in the workplace, in anticipation of the publication of a new statement on whistleblowing by NHS Employers. We hope that this article will complement our existing guidance and will also be relevant to those both inside and outside the NHS. Look out for the next edition of HCPC In Focus in your inbox in December Jonathan Jones, Editor

2 Important renewal information for operating department practitioners and social workers (continued) To check the Register visit For more information about registration see You can contact the Registration Department from Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm on +44 (0) or by ing Continuing professional development (CPD) A random sample of operating department practitioners have been selected to submit a CPD profile. Those selected for audit must complete a profile which demonstrates that they meet our CPD standards. Registrants selected for audit must return their completed CPD profile by 30 November For more information, including sample profiles, the CPD standards and an audio-visual presentation about CPD, please visit our website at Social workers will not be selected for CPD audit until Social worker renewal promotion Help us spread the word about social worker registration renewal by downloading a reminder poster and displaying it in your workplace. Download the poster from Alternatively communictaions@hcpc-uk.org to request hard copies. You can also watch an interview with our Chief Executive and Registrar Marc Seale, who answers questions about the social worker registration renewal process and continuing professional development. Watch the video at It s time to renew Social workers in England must renew their HCPC registration by Friday 30 November 2012 To renew your HCPC registration visit and click My account Park House 184 Kennington Park Road London SE11 4BU tel +44 (0) fax +44 (0) Give us your feedback We are committed to developing and improving the service provided by the Registration Department and we would like your help by providing feedback in our independently managed registrant survey. We launched the survey in 2010 and have already made some changes based on the feedback. The survey is designed to reflect the views of all HCPC registrants. It gives us an insight into the overall registration experience from your perspective, helps us understand your views on current service standards and provides a clear basis for future service developments. The survey takes less than 15 minutes to complete, so if you have not already given us your feedback please do so by visiting and following the instructions given. It is possible that you may be selected to receive a paper questionnaire which will be sent directly to you by post, in which case you have a choice of response methods. Thank you in advance for your contribution. 2 HCPC In Focus Issue 43 October 2012

3 Information Events for social workers Charlotte Urwin, Policy Manager, presenting on continuing professional development at the Newcastle Information Event. The panel at the Leeds Information Event (left to right): Jonathan Jones, Publishing Manager, Anna van der Gaag, Chair of Council, and Robert Templeton, Council Member and HCPC-registered social worker. Throughout May and September we ran a series of Information Events aimed at registered social workers in England to explain the transfer of regulation from the GSCC to the HCPC. Events took place in Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle and Plymouth. where especially pleased to see the HCPC travel outside of the capital. Here are some of the other positive comments we received. Participants were given the opportunity to meet Marc Seale, Chief Executive and Registrar, Anna van der Gaag, Chair, and members of the HCPC Council and executive. Two presentations introduced the HCPC s standards and processes, and our approach to continuing professional development (CPD). These were followed by some interesting and lively question and answer sessions. Questions ranged from the very practical, such as How will the HCPC cope with the volume of 85,000 social workers re-registering in just three months? and Does the HCPC issue registration cards?, to more complex questions around student registration and employer standards and responsibilities. You can keep track of what goes on at our events by following us on Twitter using #HCPCevents. Places at these events were in high demand and many of those attending events outside of London The Q&A session was excellent to hear points from the floor thank you for such an informative event. Really high level of panel members. Good material, leaflets etc available to delegates, friendly helpful supporting staff. This event was spot on! If you are a social worker in England and were unable to attend one of these Information Events, you can watch the presentations from our London event on our website at videopresentation We look forward to inviting social workers in England, along with our other registrants, to our Meet the HCPC events which will take place in early Keep an eye on the event page of our website, where further details will appear shortly. We will also list forthcoming events in this newsletter. HCPC In Focus Issue 43 October

4 Consultation on service user involvement in education and training programmes In the June 2012 edition of In Focus we reported that we planned to consult on amending the standards of education and training (and supporting guidance) to require service user involvement in programmes approved by the HCPC. We have now launched the consultation and are seeking the views of stakeholders on our proposals. The standards of education and training guidance already supports and encourages education providers to demonstrate service user involvement in their programmes as part of showing us how they meet our standards. However, the involvement of service users is not currently a requirement of the standards themselves. So it is possible that we could approve a programme which did not involve service users at all. We are proposing to amend the standards and guidance so that in future all programmes will need to involve service users in some way in order to be approved by us. The Department of Health has recently announced that medicines legislation will be amended to allow independent prescribing responsibilities to be extended to appropriately trained chiropodists / podiatrists and physiotherapists. Currently, chiropodists / podiatrists, physiotherapists and radiographers can train to become supplementary prescribers. Independent prescribing is prescribing by a practitioner (such as a doctor, dentist, or nurse) who is responsible for the assessment of patients and for decisions about the patient s clinical management. As a regulator, we will play an important role in making sure that chiropodists / podiatrists and physiotherapists are able to act as independent prescribers safely and effectively. We will set standards for independent prescribing, approve education programmes delivering training in independent prescribing and mark on our Register where individuals have completed the appropriate training. Chiropodists / podiatrists and physiotherapists must complete appropriate training and have their entry on 4 HCPC In Focus Issue 43 October 2012 In the consultation we have used the term service user to refer to those who typically use or are affected by the services of health and care professionals once they successfully complete an HCPC approved programme and become registered with us. This can include a variety of different individuals and organisations including patients, clients, carers and other members of the multidisciplinary team. You can download copies of the consultation document from our website or contact us by or phone if you would like us to send you hard copies. Please also contact us to request documents in an alternative format. Website: consultation@hcpc-uk.org Telephone: +44 (0) The deadline for responses to the consultation is Friday 7 December Consultation on independent prescribing for chiropodists / podiatrists and physiotherapists our Register annotated (or marked) before they are able to start practising as independent prescribers. Chiropodists / podiatrists and physiotherapists who are currently practising as supplementary prescribers will also need to complete additional training and be annotated on the Register before they can act as independent prescribers. In line with this announcement, we have developed new standards for prescribing, which will apply to both supplementary and independent prescribing. We are currently consulting on these standards. You can download copies of the consultation document from our website or contact us by or phone if you would like us to send you hard copies. Please also contact us to request documents in an alternative format. Website: consultation@hcpc-uk.org Telephone: +44 (0) The deadline for responses to the consultation is Friday 4 January 2013.

5 Focus on raising and escalating concerns We are often contacted by registrants asking us for advice on raising concerns about a policy or someone s behaviour in the workplace. In December 2010 we published an article in issue 32 of In Focus on what our standards say about raising and escalating concerns within the workplace. Detailed information about raising and escalating concerns is also available at registrants/raisingconcerns. However, new guidance on whistleblowing has recently been produced by other organisations that may be helpful for HCPC registrants. In support of this new guidance, we felt it would be helpful to remind registrants about the principles of raising concerns within your workplace, and where to seek further information and support if you need to. Your role in raising concerns As an HCPC registrant, you must act in the best interests of your service users and act to protect them if they are at risk, so it is important that you know how to raise and escalate concerns appropriately within your workplace. While we cannot offer specific advice for every situation, there are a number of standards-based principles to consider if you need to raise a concern. While these principles apply mostly to registrants who are employed, they may also be helpful for those registrants who need to raise concerns about other professionals. Our standards of conduct, performance and ethics set out the way we expect you to act when you are concerned about service user or patient safety. We expect you to act immediately if you become aware of a situation where a service user may be put in danger, and take appropriate action to protect the rights of children and vulnerable adults who are at risk. You must place the safety of service users before any personal or professional loyalties at all times. You must also tell us or other relevant regulators any important information about your own or a professional s conduct or competence. We know that sometimes issues about confidentiality might arise when reporting concerns and sometimes you may need to consider disclosing confidential information to protect others. We have produced a separate guidance publication, called Confidentiality guidance for registrants, which looks at what you should do in situations such as this. What is whistleblowing? There is a difference between raising a concern within your workplace and whistleblowing. Whistleblowing is the disclosure by an individual to the public, or those in authority, of mismanagement, corruption, illegality, or some other form of wrong-doing in the workplace. If you are employed your employer is likely to have a whistleblowing policy which will explain the steps you need to take if you need to blow the whistle. People who raise concerns about malpractice in an organisation or workplace are legally protected by the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (or the Public Interest Disclosure (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 in Northern Ireland). The Act protects whistleblowers against victimisation or dismissal, provided they have behaved responsibly in dealing with their concerns. Raising and escalating concerns Many of the principles that apply to the legal protection for whistleblowing are the same as those which apply to the action you should take to raise a less serious concern within your organisation. The following points are the key things you should consider. You should usually raise your concerns internally with your direct manager or employer first. If for any reason you cannot raise your concern in this way, or your concerns have not been addressed in a timely way, you should escalate your concern to a higher management level within your organisation. If your concerns relate to the fitness to practise of another professional, raise your concerns internally and think about contacting the relevant professional regulator which may be the HCPC. Where possible, act in accordance with your employer s whistleblowing policy. If you cannot find the policy, or it is not clear, seek appropriate advice. If you have used all the options for raising your concerns internally but they have not been addressed, there are other options open to you. For more information on your options this type of situation, please refer to the whistleblowing information at raisingconcerns/whistleblowing (continues over) HCPC In Focus Issue 43 October

6 Focus on raising and escalating concerns (continued) Seeking advice or information If you are unsure what to do about concerns, there are many places you can find advice. There are likely to be a number of possible sources of help within your organisation including informed colleagues, your manager, your employer, or your human resources department. There are also a number of external organisations who can advise you, including: your professional body or association, or union (if you are a member); and Public Concern at Work (an independent charity that provides free confidential advice to people who are not sure whether, or how, to raise concerns about practices that they have seen at work). If your concerns are about the fitness to practise of another professional, you can always contact the HCPC for advice. New guidance Some new sources of advice on raising concerns and whistleblowing have recently been produced. The Care Quality Commission has recently published useful advice on whistleblowing for staff and managers which is available through their website. The NHS whistleblowing helpline provides free and confidential advice for professionals and employers in the NHS and social care sectors across the UK. More detailed advice and links to sources of information are available in the Registrants section of our website at raisingconcerns Education annual report published We recently published the Education annual report 2011, which covers the academic year. The report provides an overview and analysis of the key trends in our approval and monitoring processes. These processes ensure that programmes delivered by education providers meet the HCPC standards of education and training. This means that individuals completing approved programmes meet our standards of proficiency at the point of registration with us. We work closely with registrant and lay Partners to approve and monitor education programmes. From Wednesday 1 September 2010 to Wednesday 31 August 2011, our Education Department and Partners made 54 approval visits covering 86 programmes. They assessed 421 monitoring submissions, which are required from all programmes annually. They also evaluated 227 major change notifications. This process ensures that any significant changes to programmes continue to meet HCPC standards. 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011 Education annual report 2011 The greatest number of approval visits in 2011 (35 visits) were to practitioner psychologist programmes. This was the second year of visits to these programmes following the opening of our Register to practitioner psychologists in This was also the first year of visits to hearing aid dispenser programmes, since the profession joined our Register in The report provides greater detail on visits to these specific programmes. Download a copy of the Education annual report 2011 at 6 HCPC In Focus Issue 43 October 2012

7 Conferences and exhibitions come and meet us We attend conferences and exhibitions across the UK. Come and meet your regulator face-to-face to find out about our work or pick up copies of our publications. North West Social Work Show 15 October 2012 Hilton Hotel, Manchester (Stand 20) North-West-Social-Work-Show As well as meeting us on the stand you can attend one of our presentations at 11am and 3pm on Your registration and continuing professional development (CPD). Naidex Care October 2012 Excel, London (Stand CZ14) Please visit HCPC representatives on stand CZ14 for more information on our Older, wiser, be sure campaign and the work of the HCPC. Naidex South October 2012 Excel, London (Stand I11) The HCPC will be presenting at Naidex again this year. The presentation is a must for anyone wanting to find out about our continuing professional development standards and audits and how these link to professionalism. Association for Perioperative Practice Congress October 2012 ICC, Birmingham (Stand B50) National Children and Adult Services Conference October 2012 Devonshire Park Centre, Eastbourne (Stand DH57) Compass Jobs Fair London 12 November 2012 Lancaster Hotel, London (Stand 22) We will be running a workshop to discuss Your registration and continuing professional development (CPD) at this event. Community Care Children and Families 14 November 2012 Business Design Centre, Islington (Stands 22 and 23) Join us and Community Care at our joint workshop around what the recent change in regulation means for the children and families social work sector in terms of CPD and related standards. HCPC In Focus Issue 43 October

8 Recruitment We are currently recruiting professions to work with us as Partners in the following roles. For more information on the roles, please see Panel Members Speech and language therapists Occupational therapists Orthoptists Registration Assessors Clinical scientists (who specialise in cellular science or clinical biochemistry) Visitors From an education background: Arts therapists (drama modality) Clinical scientists Current practitioners: Arts therapists (art modality) Diagnostic and / or therapeutic radiographers Occupational therapists Visitors Approved Mental Health Professionals We are also seeking professionals who: are entitled to undertake Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) training (social workers, mental health and learning disability nurses, occupational therapists and practitioner psychologists); and are registered with their respective regulator; and have current or past experience of working in an Approved Social Worker (ASW) or AMHP role. Visitors Independent prescribers We are also seeking to recruit nurses and pharmacists registered with their respective regulators who currently have the independent prescribing entitlement recorded on their registration record. Find out more and apply Training is provided for all partner roles. You will receive a fee and travel and accommodation expenses, where appropriate. The HCPC is committed to equality of opportunity and actively guards against unfair discrimination on any grounds, including age, beliefs, disability, gender, race, religion or sexuality. To find out more about being an HCPC Partner, including full details of each role and details of how to apply, please visit Closing date for applications: Friday 2 November 2012 Interviews: Week commencing Monday 3 December 2012 HCPC In Focus Issue 43 October

9 Dates for your diary Unless otherwise stated, HCPC Council and committee meetings are held in public, start at 10.30am and take place at Park House. More information, including minutes and agendas can be found at Council and Committee meetings: October November 2012 Thursday 11 October 2012 Thursday 18 October 2012 Tuesday 6 November 2012 Thursday 15 November 2012 Tuesday 20 November 2012 Wednesday 28 November 2012 Tuesday 4 December 2012 Tuesday 4 December 2012 Education and Training Committee (panel) pm Council pm (location tbc) Communications Committee (11am) Education and Training Committee Finance and Resources Committee Audit Committee Council Education and Training Committee (panel) pm Contact us What do you think of this newsletter? Is there anything you would like to see in future issues? We would like to hear your views, so please newsletter@hcpc-uk.org To subscribe or unsubscribe please newsletter@hcpc-uk.org Find us on Follow us on Follow us on Sign up for our RSS feeds at Alternative formats The Health and Care Professions Council Park House 184 Kennington Park Road London SE11 4BU tel +44 (0) To request a copy of this newsletter in an alternative format, or in Welsh, please newsletter@hcpc-uk.org or call +44 (0) This newsletter and previous issues can be downloaded from our website at To have it sent straight to your inbox, please newsletter@hcpc-uk.org 9 HCPC In Focus Issue 43 October 2012