Today the revised HCPC standards of conduct, performance and ethics, and guidance on social media which sits alongside the standards, come into effect. It is now every registrant’s responsibility to be familiar with the changes and meet the revised standards.
The standards of conduct, performance and ethics set out, in general terms, how we expect our registrants to behave. They outline what the public should expect from their health and care professional, help us make decisions about the character of professionals who apply to our Register and we use them if someone raises a concern about a registrant’s practice.
Registrants must refer to the standards to know what is expected of them. They can also use them to ask for support from others, such as their employer or another health and care professional, where they need it to meet their standards effectively.
The revisions were made after extensive consultation with a range of stakeholders to make sure the standards are relevant to current practice, and can be clearly understood by those who use them.
View the full revised standards
View the revised guidance on social media
Information and support
Registrants
We have a range of support available to help registrants understand the changes and new expectations they need to meet. Get started by viewing the details of all the changes and key themes:
Watch our #myHCPCstandards webinar recordings on key aspects of the changes:
- Introducing the revised standards
- Exploring your scope of practice
- Getting it right when things go wrong
- ‘Send to all!’ Challenges and opportunities of social media
We have two more upcoming webinars to support registrants with the changes – come along to Getting it right when things go wrong or ‘Send to all!’ Challenges and opportunities of social media.
Employers or managers of HCPC-registered staff
If you employ or manage HCPC-registered staff, we encourage you to familiarise yourself with the changes and check out the support available in our Employer Hub. It already includes a webinar introducing the updates, one on supporting your staff and one on what employers need to know.
Applicants
If you're an applicant, as part of your application you'll be asked to declare that you'll meet the standards of conduct, performance and ethics, once you are on the Register. This now refers to the revised standards. There is no change to our other requirements.
Learners
If you're a student on a HCPC-approved course, the revised HCPC standards of conduct, performance and ethics also apply to you. We have published another document, Guidance on conduct and ethics for students, which sets out what the standards mean for you.
