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HPC Investigation and Adjudication: Fitness to Practise Procedures
Complaints and the role of the HPC
The Health Professions Council (HPC) is the regulatory body responsible for 15 health professions in the UK. These include: arts therapists, biomedical scientists, chiropodists / podiatrists, clinical scientists, dietitians, hearing aid dispensers, occupational therapists, operating department practitioners, orthoptists, paramedics, physiotherapists, practitioner psychologists, prosthetists / orthotists, radiographers, and speech and language therapists.
It is essential for health professionals with at least one professional title that is protected by law in the UK to be accepted on to the HPC Register in order to work. There are currently over 210,000 registrants from 15 health professions on the Register. The remit of the HPC is set out in the Health Professions Order 2001. The work of the HPC is governed by this and other associated legislation.
Most cases of alleged impairment are referred by employers and the police. However, anyone can refer an allegation to the HPC. They will not normally take action if the information is provided anonymously, but if they feel it relates to serious and credible concerns about a registrant’s fitness to practice, they might consider whether they should take further action to protect the public.
When the HPC can take action
As part of their duty to protect the public, the HPC have the power to take action by either removing or restricting a health professional's registration if they fall seriously short of the high standards expected. They cover all registered health professionals whether they work in the NHS or in private practice. The HPC can consider cases where a registrant's fitness to practise may be impaired due to their:
- Misconduct
- A lack of competence
- A conviction or caution for a crime in the UK (or somewhere else for an offence that would be a crime if it was committed in England and Wales)
- physical or mental health
- A decision made by another regulator responsible for health or social care
- Being included on a barred list which prevents you working with vulnerable adults or children
HPC Sanction and Disposal options
- Mediation
- Caution you (place a warning against your name on the Register for between one to five years)
- Set conditions of practice that you must meet
- Suspend you from practicing (for no longer than one year)
- Strike your name from the HPC Register (which means you will not be able to practice)
- Interim conditions of practice order
- Interim suspension order
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