Health and Care Professions Council launches resources to combat discrimination 

The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) has launched a series of new resources designed to help health and care professionals recognise, respond to and challenge discrimination in clinical and educational settings.

The regulator said the materials form part of its wider work to promote a respectful, fair and safe environment for both service users and professionals. As the statutory regulator for 15 health and care professions, the HCPC sets standards of conduct, performance and ethics, approves education programmes and investigates concerns about fitness to practise.

The new guidance supports registrants in applying HCPC standards when facing discrimination or abuse, while ensuring patient safety remains the priority. It includes advice on how to challenge discriminatory behaviour, how to respond when abuse affects a professional’s ability to continue providing care, and how to manage complaints if care must be withdrawn.

Additional sections cover experiencing or witnessing discrimination in the workplace, guidance for education providers on their duty to protect learners, and a series of case studies illustrating how professionals, students and organisations have navigated discrimination in different contexts.

The HCPC said it remains committed to taking decisive action where discrimination occurs within the professions it regulates. In response to rising antisemitism, Islamophobia and other forms of racially or religiously motivated discrimination, the regulator has also published new materials highlighting behaviours that have previously resulted in regulatory action.

Internally, the HCPC has worked with Community Security Trust and TellMAMA to strengthen staff understanding of Jewish and Muslim community experiences and improve its ability to identify and respond to discriminatory conduct.

HCPC chief executive Bernie O’Reilly said:

“Discrimination is unacceptable in any form. Our expectation is that our registrants will challenge it. “The HCPC has a responsibility to ensure that our registrants are supported in their practice, and the public are kept safe. “We know that our registrants may have difficult judgements to make if they witness discrimination in the workplace or learning environment, and they have told us that having clarity about how to apply our standards will help them to make the most appropriate decisions. “This new resource will support all of our registrants who witness or experience discrimination in any form in thinking through those decisions.”

The HCPC said the resources will help professionals navigate an increasingly complex healthcare environment and ensure service users continue to receive safe, equitable care.

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