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HPC » News Release
| Tuesday, January 06, 2009
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News Release
9 November 2007
Health Professions Council launches joint psychology consultation: threshold level of qualification for entry to the Register and draft standards of proficiency.
In February 2007, the government published a white paper on the future of regulation, ‘Trust, Assurance and Safety – The Regulation of Health Professionals, in the 21st Century’. The white paper said….‘The government is planning to introduce statutory regulation for applied psychologists…’ (p. 81) and that ‘Psychologists…will be regulated by the Health Professions Council’ (p.85).
The applied psychology disciplines to be regulated are likely to be the same as those identified in the 2005 Department of Health consultation document: ‘Applied Psychology: Enhancing public protection: Proposals for the statutory regulation of applied psychologists’ (March 2005). They are: clinical, counselling, educational, forensic, health, occupational and sport and exercise psychology.
In preparation for applied psychologists joining the Register, the HPC today launched a consultation on the draft standards of proficiency alongside a consultation on the threshold level of qualification for entry to the applied psychologist’s part of the Register. The consultation will take place between 9 November 2007 and the 8 February 2008.
Proposed standards of proficiency
The HPC established a Professional Liaison Group (PLG) to put together the draft standards of proficiency. The group consisted of lay and registrant members of the HPC Council together with external members from the psychology profession and voluntary sector organisations. The group’s main considerations were to ensure that the standards outlined in this draft were set at the necessary threshold level for safe and effective practice. The group were also keen to ensure that the standards were at an appropriate level of detail to ensure that they were as clear and inclusive as possible.
The standards are important because they define the skills, knowledge and abilities that are necessary to become registered for the first time. They also play a role in how a professional remains registered. The standards are used to assess applicants applying to be registered and are used if a registrant’s competence is called into question.
In the document, the HPC has included profession-specific standards which would apply to the whole of the applied psychologist’s part of the Register, as well as standards which would only apply to specific disciplines within it.
Threshold level of qualification for entry to the Register
Standard one of the standards of education and training (‘SET 1’) sets out the threshold level of entry to the Register in the professions we regulate. Every time a new part of the Register is opened, the HPC need to determine the threshold academic level for entry for the new profession. As the threshold is the minimum, programmes above the threshold academic level may also be approved.
HPC President, Anna van der Gaag said…..”These consultations will put the Council’s proposed standards and the threshold level of entry to the Register before a wide range of stakeholders, including professionals and professional bodies, employers, higher education institutions and others with an interest in our work.
“We very much want to hear the views of different stakeholders before any decisions are taken. We would like to invite any individual or organisation with an interest in these issues to respond to this consultation”.
The Health Professions Council is an independent, UK-wide health regulator set up by the Health Professions Order (2001). The HPC keeps a register for 13 different health professions and only registers people who meet the standards it sets for their training, professional skills, behaviour and health. The HPC will take action against people who do not meet these standards or who use a protected title illegally.
-Ends-
Notes to Editors:
1. To download copies of the consultations, please see the HPC website http://www.hpc-uk.org/aboutus/consultations/
2. It should be noted that although the white paper has indicated that applied psychologists should be regulated by HPC, the necessary legislation to allow this to happen has yet to be passed. However, the HPC believe that it is important to start drafting standards of proficiency at an early stage. In particular, this allows time for a full three month public consultation.
3. For further information about this consultation, please contact Michael Guthrie on 020 7840 9768 or email michael.guthrie@hpc-uk.org
4. For further information about routes to registration please see the HPC website
5. If stakeholders would like to respond to the consultations, they can send their response to:
Standards of proficiency (applied psychologists) consultation and/or applied psychologists SET 1 consultation
Policy and Standards Department
Health Professions Council
Park House
184 Kennington Park Road
London
SE11 4BU
E-mail: consultation@hpc-uk.org
Phone: 020 7840 9815
Website: www.hpc-uk.org/aboutus/consultations
6. You can access copies of the existing standards by going to the HPC website http://www.hpc-uk.org/aboutregistration/standards/
7. HPC currently regulate the following 13 professions. Each of these professions has one or more ‘protected titles’. Anyone who uses one of these titles must register with the HPC. To see the full list of protected titles please see: www.hpc-uk.org/aboutregistration/protectedtitles/
· Arts therapists
· Biomedical scientists
· Chiropodists and podiatrists
· Clinical scientists
· Dietitians
· Occupational therapists
· Operating department practitioners
· Orthoptists
· Paramedics
· Physiotherapists
· Prosthetists and orthotists
· Radiographers
· Speech and language therapists
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Professor Diane Waller awarded OBE |
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19 June 2007
NEWS RELEASE
Professor Diane Waller Awarded OBE
The Health Professions Council (HPC) is pleased to announce that Professor Diane Waller has been awarded an OBE in the Birthday Honours list for services to healthcare.
Diane has been a registrant member of the Council since 1 May 2001 and is Professor of Art Psychotherapy at Goldsmiths College, University of London, and Life president of the British Association of Art Therapists. She is Vice-President of the International Society for Expression and Art Therapy, a council member of the World Psychiatric Association’s Section on Art and Psychiatry and Honorary President of the British Association of Art Therapists.
Diane is also a group analyst registered with the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy and her research interests are in sociology of professions in the UK and Europe, art and group psychotherapy, intercultural therapy, addiction and progressive illness. She has written several books on these subjects. Diane was formerly Chair of the Arts Therapists Board at CPSM, and of the HPC Education and Training Committee. Diane lives in Brighton, Sussex.
Diane Waller said “I am really surprised and very honoured to receive this prestigious award. I am looking forward to my future work with HPC, especially in the area of bringing new professions into regulation, and with Goldsmiths, and to continuing my research which for the past few years has been focused on new forms of service provision for people with progressive illnesses (such as Parkinson’s disease and dementia)".
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