Updated standards of proficiency - inside the changes
What the key changes are, why they’ve been made and how to find out more
On 1 August 2022, we launched updated versions of our Standards of proficiency. The changes come into effect next year, on 1 September 2023.
The Standards set out what professionals need to know, understand and be able to do in order to be on our Register, and help set expectations for the public. They are what registrants need to meet when they first register, when they renew their registration and throughout their professional career.
They include common standards, which apply to all 15 of the professions we regulate, as well as standards that are specific to each profession.
The recent updates are designed to align the standards more closely with current professional practice. They are more reflective of registrants’ day-to-day experience and the nature of the current healthcare landscape, which has evolved in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Updates across all professions include:
- An expansion of the role of equality, diversity and inclusion
- A new standard about promoting public health and preventing ill-health
- Wording changes to move registrants away from a passive understanding of the standards towards active implementation of them
- A greater focus on foregrounding patients and service users, and involving them in their care
- An elevation of the importance of registrants’ mental health
There are also changes to the specific standards for a number of different professions.
Extensive stakeholder engagement work was undertaken to develop these changes, which took place over a three-year period from 2019 to 2022. In addition to a formal consultation, we engaged with service user groups, employers, trade unions, education providers, professional bodies for all 15 professions and the general public. Our team also ran workshops with professions where there were significant profession-specific changes.
To support registrants’ transition to the new standards, we will be delivering a programme of #myhcpcstandards webinars, exploring the new standards that are common for all professions. We will explore each of the common standards and how these can be achieved in practice. Places are limited so please register now to avoid disappointment.
For HCPC, the Standards’ review process and subsequent updates are crucial to fulfilling our purpose of promoting excellence in the professions we regulate, and championing high quality care that the public can access safely and with confidence.
For more information and to download the updated Standards, please see below. You can also view the existing Standards of proficiency, which will remain in place until 31 August 2023.
