All of the 13 professions have at least one professional title that is protected by law, including those shown above. This means, for example, that anyone using the titles ‘physiotherapist’ or ‘dietitian’ must be registered with the HPC.
It is a criminal offence for someone to claim that they are registered with the HPC when they are not, or to use a protected title that they are not entitled to use. The HPC will prosecute people who commit these crimes.
One of the key responsibilities of the HPC is to maintain and publish a register of those professionals who meet their standards of practice. It is important to distinguish that in healthcare, qualifications provide the knowledge to enter into the profession and registration allows the professional to actually work.
One of the terms used by many of the healthcare regulators is “fitness to practice”. This is the criteria used in determining your suitability for admission onto the register. If you have a previous disciplinary or regulatory history and/or a police caution/conviction, you may have to answer questions and make submissions to establish you are fit to be admitted to the register.
It is important to remember that full disclosure is essential when filling in the documentation. We have experience of assisting medics who do have criminal records and/or a fitness to practice history in presenting the best possible case including relevant supplemental documentation.
If you are an overseas applicant, then advice should be sought from the HPC on whether your qualifications are accepted.
