Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC)

Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) protects the public by regulating 15 health and care professions in the UK. Those who wish to practice in the UK as one of the listed professions must have to meet the required HCPC standard.

How HCPC is regulating these care professionals

• by setup standards for professionals’ education, training, and practice.
• Keep a register of care for those who met the HCPC standards.

• Regulate and take action if registered professionals do not meet HCPC standards.

List of health and care professions regulated by HCPC 

• Arts therapists
• Biomedical scientists
• Chiropodists / podiatrists
• Clinical scientists
• Dietitians
• Hearing aid dispensers
• Occupational therapists
• Operating department practitioners
• Orthoptists
• Paramedics
• Physiotherapists
• Practitioner psychologists
• Prosthetists / orthotists
• Radiographers
• Speech and language therapists
  

Registration

All health and care professionals who meet HCPC standards for their training, professional skills, behavior, and health can be admitted to The HCPC Register. You can apply to join the register if you meet the entry requirement. 

Registration application route

Route of your registration application depends on where you completed your training, whether it’s in the UK or internationally. 

Overseas Candidates Registration Process

If you are an applicant who has completed their professional training outside the UK and not registered with HCPC before can register under the overseas registration route. 

Overseas registration application consists of 4 stages.

• Submit your application forms and scrutiny fee
• Receive a letter of confirmation and reference number
• Processing and assessment
• Receive a decision letter

Applicants will receive a letter of decision notifying that the outcome of their registration application. If your application is successful, you will be added to the register. 

Process of International applications assessment

Step 1: You will have to submit your application for processing together with a fee payment of  £495 as a scrutiny fee. HCPC will contact you by email with payment confirmation and provide you with the application reference number. HCPC application reference number is important and you should use this each time you contact the HCPC to discuss your application through each stage.

HCPC will not accept an incomplete application for processing and your application will return it to the address on the form. In this case, you will have to resubmit your application.

Step 2: During this stage HCPC will contact your education provider, relevant regulatory or professional bodies, and professional referees as you declared as part of your registration application. HCPC will conduct these verification and referral checks with the help of an outside agency designated to do so. HCPC will verify the information that you have provided. You do not have to do anything until HCPC has notified you of the outcome of the next stage of the process.

Initial processing will take up to 4 weeks from the date of receipt of your complete application. 

Step 3: During this stage HCPC will assess your education and training and any other relevant education, training, or experience. Your registration application will be sent to two assessors from the part of the register to which you are applying for. HCPC will make their recommendations on your application with consideration of all the information that you have submitted.

HCPC will compare your regulated education and training with their proficiency standards. If there any shortfalls identified, they will look to see if these have been made up through any other relevant education, training, or experience.

Step 4: HCPC will then send a recommendation to the Education and Training Committee (ETC). This recommendation will be then reviewed by the ETC who will send their decision to you.

They will endeavor to send a Record of Assessment to you within 60 working days of receipt. This Record of Assessment may include a request for further information which will prolong the processing time of your application. For this reason, it is important that you include as much relevant information as possible when you submit your application.

Documents Translation

If your documents are not in English, you must provide a certified official translation.

 

English Language Proficiency