HPC Fitness to Practise: Investigation
Stage 1: triage or initial assessment
Each referral is assessed whether the case is suitable for the HPC to regulate. Once the case is found to fall within HPC’s remit it will:
- Pass the case to a case manager in the Fitness to Practice Department. They are neutral and do not take the side of either case. The case manager’s role is to act as a point of contact, manage the progress of the case throughout the process and gather relevant material.
- Write to you and let you know that the HPC is investigation an allegation to your fitness to practice; and
- Ask for more information if they need it (for example from your employers or the police).
When they write to you with the full details of the allegation and give you all copies of all the documentation they have, they will invite you to make a response in writing within 28 days of their letter.
Stage 2: Investigating Committee Panels
Panels of the Investigating Committee (IC) are responsible for considering all allegations made to the HPC about fitness to practise issues. The IC screen the paper evidence in private to decide whether there is a ‘case to answer’, not whether the allegation is proven. Once it has considered all the available evidence, the IC panel has a range of powers. It can decide that:
- more information is needed;
- close the case with no further action taken;
- refer the case to a panel of the Conduct and Competence Committee (CCC) in cases about misconduct, lack of competence, convictions or cautions determinations by other regulators and decisions to bar a professional; or
- for reasons of ill health, refer the case to a panel of the Health Committee (HC); or
- when a registrant has entered the Register as a result of fraud or by mistake; refer the case to another panel of the Investigating Committee (IC).
If the panel decides that there is ‘no case to answer’ and they receive another concern regarding a registrant’s fitness to practice which is similar in nature within three years, the HPC can take the first case into account when considering the new information.
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