Aim: To improve our performance against PSA standards of good regulation and to innovate across all our regulatory functions to provide an enhanced user experience.
In the first three years of our Corporate Strategy 2021–26, we have significantly improved our performance against the PSA Standards of Good Regulation.
We are now meeting 16 of the 18 standards, regaining two fitness to practise (FTP) standards and one standard linked to registration, and achieving the standard in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) for the first time.
Our aim is to regain the two FTP standards, and we are confident we are on track to meet 17 of the 18 Standards of Good Regulation this year.
The performance and service improvements we have made mean we are now in a more stable position to plan for an ambitious future, making the best use of technology to provide an enhanced user experience for our registrants and all those who interact with the HCPC.
Our planned activity for 2024–25 will begin our work to prepare and build for the future.
In 2024-25 we will further this aim by:
User experience
- Scope and design our future state user experience with a focus on services being online, self-service, automated and integrated. This will be informed by the outcome of the review being conducted in Q4 of FY2023–24.
- Pilot and test options to use technology such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve the quality, consistency, and efficiency of our responses to enquiries.
- Implement Tone of Voice principles in the communications from our Registration team, building on what we have already implemented in Fitness to Practise.
- Fully implement the new team structures in Registration.
- Implement a new telephony system in the FTP department.
- Update our contact centre and online portals to provide Welsh language options in accordance with the new Welsh Language Standards.
Partners
- Following a review of the HCPC Partner1 operating model, develop costed medium-term plans taking account of recent legal developments that enable further improvements in quality and financial management.
Education
- Use more of the data available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency, to inform education quality assurance activities and to assist financial forecasting for future registrant income.
- Continue to work with sector partners to reduce regulatory burden for education providers, whilst holding education providers and programmes to high regulatory standards.
Fitness to Practise
- Implement and embed changes to our FTP operating model and processes to support the introduction of in-house frontloaded investigations, including the establishment of a new legal team.
- Implement changes to our FTP case management system to align with our new operating model and processes.
- Review and optimise our scheduling and pre-hearing case management processes, to reduce the time taken to list for a final hearing.
- Review our sanctions policy to ensure our guidance for panel members is up to date and continues to support them to make decisions that are fair, consistent, and transparent.