How we’re supporting you with the updates to our standards of proficiency

In less than six months’ time, on 1 September 2023, the updated standards of proficiency for all HCPC professions come into effect.  

The updates reflect the changing nature of practice across the professions we regulate. They’re designed to promote positive and inclusive working environments, thereby helping to reduce the number of unnecessary fitness to practice proceedings that registrants undergo.  

Our core mission is to protect the public, and we believe these updates will help maintain high-quality care and retain public confidence in the professions we regulate.  

Background to the changes 

The changes represent the biggest update to the standards since 2015, and come after a long and review detailed process that began way back in 2020. Throughout the process, which included formal consultation work and the development of the updates themselves, we worked in close partnership with key stakeholders, registrants and professional bodies.  

This engagement and collaboration has allowed us to be confident that the updates are flexible, realistic and grounded in current practice, and that they will positively impact registrants and service users alike. We were pleased to see that the updates were received positively when they were published last year. 

This work was guided by the aims of our corporate strategy: being a fair, compassionate, inclusive and enterprising regulator, and promoting excellence in all the professions we regulate. 

What we’re doing to help registrants 

It is vital that registrants across every profession are aware that the standards have been updated and are able to familiarise themselves with the changes.  

We are now in a key period of engagement, with six months of work ahead to drive the messages home and help registrants overcome any barriers they may face in meeting the standards.  

In the lead-up to September, our focus is on visibility, and on making the transition accessible and straightforward for registrants. Through our website, emails and collaboration with stakeholders such as professional bodies, we’ll be releasing information, videos and case studies, as well as running online events that will raise awareness and help registrants to prepare.

Webinars 

#myhcpcstandards is a series of webinars designed to support HCPC registrants in meeting the standards we set. In 2023, we are running five webinars that cover key themes in the updated standards of proficiency:  

• Service user engagement – Tuesday 18 April 2023, 13.00-13.45 
• Registrants' mental health – Wednesday 03 May 2023, 13.00-13.45 
• Equality, diversity and inclusion - Tuesday 23 May 2023, 13.00-13.45 
• Leadership – Wednesday 07 June, 2023, 13.00-13.45 
• Digital skills and new technologies – Monday 19 June 2023, 13.00-13.45 

To register for one of these sessions, click a topic above and enter your details. You can also follow #myhcpcstandards on Twitter for insights from the events.  

Online information 

In the revisions to our standards section of our website, you can already find information about the updates, which includes the updates themselves and the standards to which they relate, plus background and context for each.  

We are adding to this information with examples, case studies and resources which registrants can use. This can all be accessed via: www.hcpc-uk.org/updated-sop  

Direct support

Through our email newsletters and direct emails to registrants, will also be sending information to registrants on the changes over the coming weeks. We’ll also be working with our stakeholders to answer any questions that come up and ensure that sufficient information is reaching registrants.  

Peer support – helping others 

Alongside our communications we hope registrants, employers and anyone impacted by the changes can reach out to their colleagues, flag what is coming and point people in our direction.  

The HCPC website holds all the information you need about the overall changes and profession-specific updates, and it’ll hold all our support materials too. These can be accessed via: www.hcpc-uk.org/updated-sop 

If you have any questions, please contact our Policy Team via policy@hcpc-uk.org.  

Thank you 

These changes would not be possible without the time and effort of many stakeholders. Thank you to everyone who has engaged with this work thus far and for the time taken to provide feedback. We hope that continued collaboration and cross-promotion will ensure a smooth transition for all registrants and secure positive effects for all service users.