The Health and Care Professions Council’s (HCPC) updated standards of proficiency came into effect on the 1st of September.

The standards of proficiency are the threshold standards all HCPC registrants must meet in order to join, and remain on, the HCPC Register. They ensure the safe and effective practice of the professions we regulate. There are updates to the standards that apply to all professions and updates that are profession-specific, and it is each registrant’s responsibility to meet them.

View the updated standards of proficiency

The HCPC stressed that:

“…registrants do  not  need  to complete any new registration processes on 1 September 2023 to remain on the Register.  There is no need to submit evidence of how you meet the updated standards outside of a normal continuing professional development (CPD) audit. If you are selected for CPD audit, we’ll contact you at the beginning of your renewal window.”

 

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Support for Registrants

The HCPC wrote on its website:

Registrants

To support registrants with the transition we have developed a range of resources, available on our website – head to the section on updates to the standards of proficiency. Here, you can view information on the key changes, fact sheets, video summaries, recorded webinars and more.

To help you begin considering how your current practice relates to the updates, you may wish to use our handy gap analysis tool. This can help you to identify any areas in which you don’t meet the updated standards relevant to your scope of practice, so you can address them. These can then form the basis of learning and development plans or help guide your CPD activities. 

Professional bodies can also be an invaluable source of profession-specific information and support. If you’re unsure who your professional body is, our list may help. 

Employers or managers of HCPC-registered staff

If you employ or manage HCPC-registered staff, we encourage you to familiarise yourself with the changes and check out the support available in our Employer Hub. It already includes a webinar specifically on supporting HCPC-registered staff and an article on what employers need to know before the standards of proficiency come into effect, and it’ll include more in future. 

Applicants

If you’re a current applicant or are considering making an application to the HCPC Register, please note that that you will still be required to meet the HCPC standards of proficiency to join the Register, but for applications submitted on 1 September onwards, this will refer to the updated standards of proficiency. Our other requirements, including English language proficiency requirements, will not change. 

Students

If you’re a student wondering how the changes impact you, this will differ depending on when you began your course. Read more on what the updated standards mean for students.  

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