The Health Professions Council (HPC) is a statutory regulator of 210,000 health professionals from 15 professions in the United Kingdom.[1] It was set up in 2003 under the National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Act 2002, to replace the Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine (CPSM). The Council reports its main purpose is to protect the public. It does this by setting and maintaining standards of proficiency and conduct for the professions it regulates.[2] Its key functions include approving education and training programmes which health professionals must complete before they can register with the HPC; and maintaining and publishing a Register of health care providers who meet pre-determined professional requirements and standards of practice.
The Health and Social Care Bill 2011 included plans to rename the HPC the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) to reflect the transfer of social workers from the General Social Care Council, which is to be abolished in or after 2012[3]. It also reported it was being accorded new powers to set up voluntary registers for unregulated professions or related professions, including students seeking to enter a regulated or unregulated profession or related occupation.[4]
The work of the HPC and other health professions regulators in the UK (e.g. General Medical Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council, General Dental Council, etc.) is overseen by the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE). Instances of professional misconduct, if an individual provider is found to not meet Council standards, can lead to dismissal from the National Health Service.[5]
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The HPC regulates 15 health professions. They are:[6]
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