HPC launches consultation on student fitness to practise and registration

The Health Professions Council (HPC) has launched a consultation seeking the views of stakeholders on the most effective way of assuring the fitness to practise of students in England.

The Health and Social Care Bill 2011, currently before parliament, would allow the HPC to set up voluntary registers of students studying on programmes which lead to registration. This is subject to undertaking an assessment of the likely impact of setting up the register and holding a public consultation.

The HPC does not register students and does not have any existing powers to do so. Therefore, it registers individuals following successful completion on a HPC-approved programme.  The HPC’s standards of conduct performance and ethics describe public and professional expectations of behaviour and apply to both registrants and to students. The HPC also publishes guidance on conduct and ethics specifically for students’ further building on these standards.

Options being considered as part of the consultation include:

• Maintaining the HPC’s current approach to student registration.
• Establishing a voluntary register of students for some or all of the existing HPC regulated professions.

The HPC’s Director of Policy and Standards, Michael Guthrie, explained: “We are keen to hear the views of stakeholders on the potential risks posed by students to service users, the effectiveness and benefits of different approaches to assuring student fitness to practise, as well as opinions on the cost implications and how the different approaches to managing student fitness to practise might affect different groups.

“We want to ensure that any approach we put in place is proportionate and effective in managing risk. This consultation is about gathering evidence, so that we can make an informed decision about the best approach to adopt going forward.”

The consultation will run until 2 March 2012.

Click here to view the consultation document.