The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) is failing to meet standards of good regulation and has implemented a fitness to practise “Improvement Programme” to address this. As of the 31st of March 2020 the HCPC has still to achieve 6 of the 24 Professional Standards Authority (PSA) Standards of Good Regulation.

An overview of HPCP fitness to practise work

First, an overview of the HPCP fitness to practise work from 1st of April 2019 through to the 31st of March 2020:

HCPC fitness to practise “Improvement Programme”

In order to meet the PSA’s standards for good regulation, the HCPC is implementing an “improvement programme”. According to the HCPC, “Using data analysis, our approach is increasingly focused on identifying possible FtP issues that might arise and preventing them before they occur, through early intervention.”

An example of what this might look like in practice is “our data may indicate a number of concerns about Registrants at the same place of employment. We would then approach the employer and work with them to understand the issues and whether there is any support or guidance we can offer to prevent escalation.”

What will an improved HCPC fitness to practise approach look like?

The HCPC has not yet published a detailed explanation of the improvement work have set out a high-level overview of what is to be expected:

1. Enablers

• Replacing the Case Management System (CMS)
• Using the CMS functionality to implement robust Case Planning

2. Process Improvement

• Improving case flow and the quality of decision making
• Improving recruitment and retention through a focus on staff development

3. Culture change

• Developing a learning and growth culture, by listening to the experiences of our stakeholders, and collaborating on solutions and improvements
• Developing a compassionate approach, by being empathetic to Registrants and employees, and remembering that FtP investigations can be an emotionally challenging experience