10th March 2004
NEWS RELEASE



Health Professions Council launches Standards of Education and Training and approvals process consultation


The Health Professions Council (HPC) has launched a UK-wide consultation on its Standards of Education and Training, and the approvals process.

The Standards of Education and Training are the over-arching guidance to education providers on how to ensure that their programmes will enable those who successfully complete them to qualify for admission to the HPC's Register. The approval and monitoring of programmes and education providers is a statutory duty of the Council.

Health professionals, the public, education providers and employers are encouraged to discuss the HPC's proposals on how it will exercise its educational and training powers under the Health Professions Order 2001.

The consultation document says, "The powers of the Order give us an opportunity to create a simpler and more transparent, effective and economical system. We are proposing to move to a multiple programme approach rather than individual programme approval."

The Standards of Education and Training will be supplemented by curriculum guidance which will be developed in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, in particular, with the professional bodies.

Eileen Thornton, Chairman of the Education and Training Committee said "We have the opportunity to reshape the way in which pre-registration education and training is regulated. We need a simple and effective approach to reflect the modern regulatory environment".

The Health Professions Council is also launching its consultation on the structure of the register.

Ends

Notes to Editors:

1. More information about the consultation is available on the HPC website here:

http://www.hpc-uk.org/consultation/set_approvals.htm

You can download the full consultation document from this page.

2. The HPC regulates registered professionals from the following professions: arts therapists, chiropodists / podiatrists, clinical scientists, dietitians, medical laboratory technicians (biomedical scientists), occupational therapists, orthoptists, prosthetists and orthotists, paramedics, physiotherapists, radiographers, and speech and language therapists.

3. The consultation programme: diary of events

The dates below are for meetings starting at 1.30pm and will last for approximately 2 hours.

All events are open to the public; please let us know if you would like to attend.

Date

Location


Friday 26th March 2004


Northern Ireland, University of Ulster


Tuesday 6th April 2004


Wales, University of Cardiff


Friday 16th April 2004


England (North) University of Leeds


Friday 23rd April 2004


Scotland, Royal Museum of Scotland


Wednesday 5th May 2004


England (Midlands) Birmingham & Midlands Institute


Tuesday 11th May 2004


England (South) Regent's College London

 

To reserve a place at one of the events please telephone 020 7840 9812 or email consultation@hpc-uk.org

For further information

Please contact either:

Rachel Tripp

E: rachel.tripp@hpc-uk.org
Tel: 020 7840 9760

or:

Victoria Nash

E: victoria.nash@hpc-uk.org
Tel: 020 7840 9784