In Focus The Health and Care Professions Council Newsletter Issue 47 June 2013 Registration renewal reminder We are writing to all registered orthoptists and paramedics 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 need to renew their registration and pay their fee by 31 August 2013. Orthoptists and paramedics who do not renew their registration by 17 August 2013 will be sent a notice of our intention to remove them from the Register. To access the system, log on to the HCPC website at www.hcpc-uk.org and click on the My Account link in the bar at the top of the home page. You will need to activate your online account before you can use the system. To do this you will need an activation code which we have now sent to you. Once activated, you will be able to access the system using your authentication code which will also be sent to you at the start of June. The Register is in real-time so once renewed our online Register will immediately show your new registration dates. This is the best way for you or your employer to check you have renewed. Employers may also find our multiple registrant search useful to check the status of up to 100 people at a time. Continuing professional development (CPD) A random sample of those renewing will be selected to submit a CPD profile. Those selected for audit must complete a profile that demonstrates that they meet our CPD standards and submit this by the renewal deadline for their profession. For more information about this process, including sample profiles, the CPD standards and an audio-visual presentation about CPD, please visit our website at www.hcpc-uk.org/registrants/cpd More information We also have several resources to help ensure you stay registered. For a free renewal reminder poster email publications@hcpc-uk.org or call the Communications Department on +44 (0)20 7840 9806. 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 emailing newsletter@hcpc-uk.org For more information see www.hcpc-uk.org/registrants You can contact the Registration Department Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm on our lo-call number 0845 3004 472 (if calling in the UK) or on +44 (0)20 7840 9802. Inside this issue Page Welcome from the Editor 1 Registration renewal reminder 1 Practitioner psychologists renew registration 2 New professional indemnity requirements 2 Consultation on standards of proficiency for speech and language therapists 2 Revised standards of proficiency for physiotherapists and radiographers 3 Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry event 3 Understanding public protection event 4 Isle of Man Department of Health and HCPC sign memorandum of understanding 4 Education annual report published 5 Employer Events 5 Naidex National 5 Forthcoming exhibitions 6 Council and Committee meetings 6 Contact us 6 Alternative formats 6 Welcome to issue 47 of HCPC In Focus. In this issue we report on the ongoing review of the profession-specific standards of proficiency. We have recently published revised standards for physiotherapists and radiographers (see page 3) and are currently consulting on proposed amendments to the standards of proficiency for speech and language therapists (see page 2). Another consultation which will be of interest is the Department of Health in England s consultation on professional indemnity arrangements for health and care professionals see page 2 for more. We also have a round-up of recent events, including two special events which considered the recommendations of the Robert Francis Report into failings at the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, and the findings of our research which explored the concept of public protection (pages 3 and 4). Look out for the next edition of HCPC In Focus in your inbox in August 2013. Jonathan Jones, Editor
Practitioner psychologists renew registration From March to May, we invited all practitioner psychologists to renew their registration for the next two years. This year 96.3 per cent of registrants successfully renewed their registration compared to 93.5 per cent in 2011, and 92.8 per cent in 2009. We would like to thank the British Psychological Society and the Association of Educational Psychologists, as well as all the human resources directors, service managers, trade union representatives and employers that have helped us to ensure those who want to stay registered do not come off the Register. New professional indemnity requirements The Department of Health in England recently consulted, on behalf of the four UK Health Departments, on draft legislation which would see the introduction of indemnity arrangements as a condition of registration for health professionals. What this means is that in order to be registered with their respective regulator, professionals will be expected to have indemnity arrangements in place. This requirement is as a result of the need for the UK government to transpose an EU Directive into domestic law and needs to be in place by Friday 25 October 2013, subject to the legislative timetable. The HCPC responded to the Department of Health consultation and you can read our response here: www.hcpc-uk.org/aboutus/committees/archive/index.asp?id=634 This new statutory requirement will not apply to social workers in England. It will, however, apply to the other 15 professions on our Register. We anticipate that the majority of HCPC registrants will already be able to meet these requirements as they will be indemnified either through their employer, a professional body, directly with an insurer or a combination of these. It is, however, important that professionals understand their responsibility to have appropriate arrangements in place. We have drafted guidance on this new requirement and we will launch a consultation on this on Monday 10 June 2013. The consultation will run until Friday 2 August 2013. Although we normally consult for twelve weeks, we are consulting for a shorter eight-week period to ensure that guidance is available for affected registrants from the point that the statutory requirement is in place. From Monday 10 June, you will be able to respond using our online tool, by emailing us or by writing to us. Details will be posted on our website at www.hcpc-uk.org/aboutus/consultations and we would welcome your responses to the consultation. Consultation on standards of proficiency for speech and language therapists Standards of proficiency Speech and language therapists 2 HCPC In Focus Issue 47 May 2013 We are currently consulting on proposed amendments to the profession-specific standards of proficiency for speech and language therapists. We have already revised and restructured the generic standards. Under the new structure, most standards will be profession-specific, listed under 15 new generic standards. At the start of the review we asked The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists to review the standards and recommend changes. We used their comments to revise the standards. The consultation closes on Friday 28 June 2013. We will use the responses we receive to decide if further changes are needed. We will then publish the finalised standards, once they are approved by our Council. We will work with education providers to phase-in the new standards after the profession s revised standards are published. How to comment You can comment by completing our online survey at www.research.net/s/standardsforspeechandlanguagetherapists or by emailing us at consultation@hcpc-uk.org Website: www.hcpc-uk.org/aboutus/consultations Telephone: +44 (0)20 7840 9815
Revised standards of proficiency for physiotherapists and radiographers We have recently published revised standards of proficiency for physiotherapists and radiographers, which are effective from Tuesday 28 May 2013. The publication of these standards is the result of an ongoing review of the standards of proficiency for 15 of the professions we regulate. We undertook the review of these standards with input from the relevant professional bodies the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and the Society and College of Radiographers and by consulting with a range of stakeholders. The changes we have made to the profession-specific standards are to ensure that they reflect developments in education and current practice and include language that better reflects the requirements of each profession. We will be gradually rolling-out the new standards to education programmes over the next few years. You can download the standards from www.hcpc-uk.org/publications/standards. If you have any questions about the content of the new standards, please contact the Policy and Standards Department by emailing policy@hcpc-uk.org Standards of proficiency Physiotherapists Standards of proficiency Radiographers Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry event On Thursday 9 May 2013 we invited those working for professional bodies, in regulation or with an interest in health and social care, to meet with us to discuss the recommendations of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry. In his report, Robert Francis QC made 290 recommendations and called for far reaching changes at all levels. As a regulator of health and care professionals we are reviewing the report and its findings in detail. We are particularly looking at our responsibilities as a professional regulator, what more we can contribute, what needs to change in our processes and how we work with other organisations. The event addressed these issues and looked at what more we can do to ensure we continue to be a robust and efficient regulator in times of fundamental change. We will shortly be uploading a video of the event to our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/hcpcuk Subscribe to our channel now to receive notifications of new content. Anna van der Gaag, HCPC Chair, speaking about the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry HCPC In Focus Issue 47 May 2013 3
Understanding public protection event As part of our on-going work looking at ways to improve the fitness to practise process for those involved, we commissioned research from Picker Institute Europe. The research explored understanding of the concept of public protection amongst members of the public, service users and carers, HCPC registrants and professional bodies. It examined what information about health and care professionals was considered relevant for the regulator in its deliberations on fitness to practise. Stakeholders, including professional bodies, charities, patient groups and unions were invited to an event on Tuesday 21 May 2013 to discuss the results of the research. Participants heard presentations from Anna van der Gaag, Chair, and Kelly Johnson, Director of Fitness to Practise, and were asked to discuss topics including our Standard of Acceptance, the service user perspective, guidance for employers, accessibility, communication and information provision, and the hearings process. The research report from Picker Institute Europe can be downloaded from www.hcpc-uk.org/publications/research We will shortly be uploading a video of the event to our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/hcpcuk Subscribe to our channel now to receive notifications of new content. Isle of Man Department of Health and HCPC sign memorandum of understanding The Isle of Man Department of Health signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the HCPC on Tuesday on 23 April 2013. The HCPC s legislation extends to the United Kingdom. Although the Isle of Man is not part of the United Kingdom, professionals in the professions we register are either required by Manx law to be registered with us, or they are required to be registered with us by their employers. The Minister for Health, David Anderson MHK, and the Chair of the HCPC, Anna van der Gaag, co-signed the agreement to strengthen and endorse the working relationship between the Department and the HCPC, in the regulation of health and care professionals and the protection of service users. Meet the HCPC on the Isle of Man Whilst on the Isle of Man to sign the MOU, we took the opportunity to meet with registrants and invited them to a Meet the HCPC event at Keyll Darree. Around 130 registrants heard from Marc Seale, Chief Executive and Registrar, and Anna van der Gaag, Chair, about the current work and developments at the HCPC. Michael Guthrie, Director of Policy and Standards, then spoke to registrants about our continuing professional development requirements. Norman McGregor Edwards, Director of Health Care Delivery, Isle of Man, also attended and gave a presentation highlighting the proposed content of the Health Services Bill 2014. Minister for Health, David Anderson MHK, and HCPC Chair, Anna van der Gaag, sign the memorandum. Michael Guthrie, Director of Policy and Standards, speaking about the HCPC s continuing professional development requirements. 4 HCPC In Focus Issue 47 May 2013
Education annual report published We have recently published the Education annual report 2012. The report provides an overview and analysis of the key trends in our approval and monitoring processes during the 2011 12 academic year. These processes ensure that programmes meet our standards of education and training, and allow students completing those programmes to apply for HCPC registration. We work closely with registrant and lay Partners to approve and monitor education programmes. During 2011 12, we: conducted 67 approval visits assessing 110 programmes; reviewed 256 annual monitoring declarations and 221 annual monitoring audit submissions; and considered 316 major change notifications. Visit our blog at http://hcpc-uk.blogspot.co.uk to read more about this year s report and for a snapshot of key facts and figures. You can download the Education annual report 2012 at www.hcpc-uk.org/publications/reports Employer Events Employers are a key audience for the HCPC, since it is important that employers or managers of HCPC registrants understand their responsibilities and our standards and processes. Employer Events provide practical information for anyone in a managerial or HR role working within the NHS, local authorities or private practice. We recently held events in London on Wednesday 29 May 2013 and Wrexham on Tuesday 4 June 2013. Presentations covered the latest developments in regulation and provided information on registration and renewal, and international and temporary registrants. At the London event we held workshops on the review of the standards of conduct performance and ethics, to explore how the standards could be improved. At the Wrexham event we took a close look at how our standards relate to fitness to practise through the use of case studies. If you were unable to attend you will shortly be able to view a video of the presentations on our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/hcpcuk Subscribe to our channel now to receive notifications of new content. Naidex National The HCPC recently exhibited at the three-day Naidex National event at the NEC, Birmingham. Naidex is the UK s largest disability, homecare and rehabilitation event for those working in health and social care and for people seeking the latest assisted living devices. Our stand was extremely busy with over 700 visits from registrants, including occupational therapists, physiotherapists and social workers, as well as members of the public wanting further information on regulation and how we protect the public. We ran two CPD seminars in the Keynote Theatre which were both well-attended. We also ran a seminar on professionalism and how professional behaviour links with our standards and processes. We will be exhibiting at Naidex Scotland in Glasgow on Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 September 2013. For information and to register for this free event visit www.naidex.co.uk Jonathan Jones, Publishing Manager, speaking in the Naidex National Keynote Theatre. HCPC In Focus Issue 47 May 2013 5
Forthcoming exhibitions Health+Care 2013 12 13 June 2013 Excel London www.healthpluscare.co.uk The HCPC will be exhibiting at this new two day event. Health+Care consists of four co-located events Commissioning, Integrated Care, Home Care and Residential Care and will appeal to a range of HCPC registrants looking to network, share practical advice, find solutions, and engage with providers. Representatives from the HCPC will be at this event on both days. Please come and visit us on stand M52 where we will also have HCPC publications available for you to take away. Council and Committee meetings 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 www.hcpc-uk.org/aboutus/council Council and Committee meetings: April June 2013 Tuesday 18 June 2013 Tuesday 25 June 2013 Thursday 4 July 2013 Thursday 18 July 2013 Finance and Resources Committee Audit Committee Council Finance and Resources Committee 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 email newsletter@hcpc-uk.org To subscribe or unsubscribe please email newsletter@hcpc-uk.org Find us on www.facebook.com/hcpcuk Follow us on www.twitter.com/the_hcpc Follow us on www.linkedin.com Sign up for our RSS feeds at www.hcpc-uk.org Alternative formats The Health and Care Professions Council Park House 184 Kennington Park Road London SE11 4BU tel +44 (0)845 300 6184 www.hcpc-uk.org To request a copy of this newsletter in an alternative format, or in Welsh, please email newsletter@hcpc-uk.org or call +44 (0)20 7840 9806. This newsletter and previous issues can be downloaded from our website at www.hcpc-uk.org/publications/newsletter To have it sent straight to your inbox, please email newsletter@hcpc-uk.org HCPC In Focus Issue 47 May 2013 6