Fitness To Practise Annual Report 2022-23

The overwhelming majority of professionals on our Register practise safely and effectively. Fewer than one percent of the professionals we regulate had a concern raised about them in 2022-2023, which is consistent with previous years. We will always listen to anyone who feels they have not had safe or effective care, or who has concerns about someone on our Register.

This year we have seen the impact of the changes we have made as part of our FTP Improvement Programme. In this year’s annual performance review of the HCPC by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA), we regained two FTP Standards (overall achieving three of the five Standards of Good Regulation relating to FTP). The PSA noted it had seen improvements in decision-making across all stages of the fitness to practise process, and in our management of risk and interim orders. This marks significant progress. We acknowledge, however, that we still have work to do to achieve all the Standards of Good Regulation. We believe Phase 2 of our FTP Improvement Programme will enable us to do that.

Being compassionate and supporting those involved in FTP cases is an important part of our FTP Improvement Programme. In 2022-23 we partnered with POhWER, a lay advocacy service for complainants and witnesses who require additional support engaging in the FTP process. We also launched a new wellbeing support service with our partner CiC and we commenced work to review the tone of voice of our fitness to practise communication.

For the first time this year, we are able to include EDI data analysis in our FTP Annual Report. We are pleased with the progress this demonstrates in terms of our EDI data collection, but we understand there is more to do in terms of analysing any impacts of EDI factors on the FTP process and outcomes.

Continuing to improve how we investigate FTP concerns is a core element of our five-year Corporate Strategy that we adopted in 2021and will continue to be a priority for us throughout 2023-24. We are equally committed to being, and to be seen as, a compassionate regulator.

We are grateful to our colleagues for all their hard work as we strive to maintain high standards for the professions we regulate and to protect the public.

Laura Coffey
Interim Executive Director of Regulation