A positive end to a difficult year
2020 has been an unprecedented year for all concerned. It has been particularly testing for healthcare workers and you should be immensely proud of how you have responded to the requirements of the pandemic and the difficulties you have faced. We don’t know how long this disruption will last for, but we hope that there is now light at the end of the tunnel. The Management Board thanks you all for your continued dedicated work throughout the year and wishes you all a Happy Christmas and New Year. |
| 2021 Renewals
The renewal period is no upon us and you will receive an email to inform you of this. The renewal fee for 2021 is £26.00 and you can see a list of all fees on the RCT website. The deadline for registrants with a UK bank account to submit a direct debit form in line with the introduction of mandatory direct debits has now passed. The majority of registrants have submitted a direct debit form and payments will be processed in early January. For those who have chosen not to submit a direct debit form, registration will end on 31st December 2020. |
| Preparing for the next CPD Audit
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| Transfer of Public Voluntary Register of Sonographers (PVRS) to RCT
The PVRS is a register for those individuals working as sonographers whose practice includes medical ultrasound. Many of those working in this field are already eligible for statutory registration through their existing qualifications via the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) or the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). However, there are also a significant number of sonographers to whom these routes are not available. By transferring to the RCT these individuals will become part of a PSA accredited register and will work with the RCT to continue our push for statutory registration for all our registrants. The Register of Clinical Technologists (the RCT) and the Society and College of Radiographers (SCoR) are pleased to confirm that following Professional Standards Authority (PSA) approval, the Public Voluntary Register of Sonographers (PVRS) will transfer to the Register of Clinical Technologists (RCT) on February 28th 2021. You can see the original consultation here. An RCT application route for sonographers not registered on the PVRS is currently being developed and once complete we will release details of how to apply to join the RCT. |
New scope of practice: Bone Densitometry DXA
The management board is currently undertaking work to introduce a new scope of practice to the RCT – Bone Densitometry (DXA). After a Task & Finish group have produced a draft scope, indicative curriculum and equivalence route, criteria and guidance notes for applicants, testing would take place through the participation of volunteers in a pilot scheme. Further details will be announced soon; however if you know of any suitable technologists working in this field who would be happy to participate in a pilot, please ask them to email the RCT. |
IHEEM Representative – Dave Easton
Dave Easton has recently decided to stand down as an IHEEM rep on the RCT Management Board. We would like to thank him for his valuable contributions to the RCT and the Management Board over the years and wish him well in his next endeavours. |
| IPEM representative vacancy
We currently have a vacancy for an IPEM representative on the RCT Management Board. The members of the MB contribute towards the policies, procedures and principles which are part of the operation of the Register and contribute to the overall direction of the Register. If you are an IPEM member and would like further details of the role, please refer to the ‘Get Involved’ section on the IPEM website. |
| Iain Threlkeld
The RCT Registrar If you are reading this update in print form, please visit http://therct.org.uk/ and view the update from the homepage, in order to access the links in these articles. |
Registrar’s Update
Direct Debit reminder – October 2020
Reminder – Please set up your direct debit for 2021 RCT registration renewal
Deadline 13th November 2020
This is an urgent reminder that all registrants with a UK bank account must have a direct debit set up in time for the 2021 annual renewals and our deadline for this is Friday 13 November.
Our records show that you do not have a direct debit set up yet, so we urge you to send in your form as soon as possible. Once received, our Finance team will set this up in time for the renewal period.
You can opt to pay in one annual payment in January, or by monthly instalments, and no payments will be taken until January 2021.
IPEM and the RCT appreciates the uncertainties and difficulties which we are all currently facing during the Covid 19 pandemic and that 2021 renewals are not at the forefront of your minds. However, we do not want you to lose your registration next year due to not having a direct debit set up, so please give this your full consideration as soon as you can.
To do this please use this link to access the direct debit application form.
The IPEM/RCT office is currently closed due to the pandemic and we are all working remotely. Therefore, please email your form to our Finance department by Friday 13 November – we will be unable to set up renewal payment for 2021 if your form is returned after this time.
If you do not wish to renew your registration in 2021, please advise us (if you have not already done so), so that we can update our records.
If you were accepted onto the register after 30th June 2020, and supplied a direct debit form with your application, please do not send a replacement. Our finance team will set up your direct debit in due course and will inform you once this has been done.
Registrar’s Update July 2020
CPD Audit
The annual CPD audit process is nearning completion. The CPD Auditors have assessed the final submissions and registrants have been informed of the outcome. Three members of the RCT Management Board volunteered for audit and we are pleased to report that their submissions were successful. A CPD audit report will be forwarded to all registrants and added to the RCT website in due course. Please continue to record your activities on the Summary of CPD Activity or directly on mycareerpath® where you will be able to create a report of your recorded evidence should you be selected for audit next year. Paper submissions are not accepted. If you would like further information on how to use mycareerpath® please see the CPD pages on the RCT website. |
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| New Clinical Computing scope of practice – pilot volunteers required
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| Return from overseas practice policy
As mentioned in the March 2020 issue of the Registrar’s Update, we advised that we were developing a policy to help overseas registrants on their return to the UK. We recognise that some registrants may wish to work overseas for a period and maintain their registration during this period; alternatively registrants may apply for a career break whilst away from the UK. This policy has now been finalised and can be found here, along with the notification form. Please get in touch if you have any queries about this. |
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| Direct debit payments for renewal fees – reminder
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New Assistant Registrar
We are pleased to announce that Paul Blackett has been elected as the new Assistant Registrar and his role will commence at the end of August 2020, when our current Assistant Registrar, Andy Mosson steps down from the role. This creates a vacancy for a new IPEM representative to sit on the RCT Management Board. This role will be advertised shortly and interested parties should check the IPEM and RCT website for details. |
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| Code of Conduct
All RCT Registrants are required to adhere to the Code of Professional Conduct and are sent a copy of this document when accepted onto the Register. The code has recently been reviewed and updated and can be viewed here |
Management Board meetings
Due to the current situation with the Covid-19 pandemic, the June Management Board meeting was held virtually. You can view the summary minutes on the RCT website. The October meeting will also be held virtually on 1st October 2020. We hope you are all coping with the disruption the pandemic is causing and are staying safe and well. |
| Iain Threlkeld
The RCT Registrar |
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Registrar’s Update March 2020
| CPD Audit
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| RCT Assessors required
Due to the continued growth of the RCT, we are again looking for additional Assessors to assess both Primary and Equivalence applications. We are particularly in need of those working in the Medical Engineering, Radiation Physics, Radiation Engineering and Radiotherapy Physics scopes of practice; however we welcome applications from eligible Registrants from all of the RCT scopes. Full training will be given, and the work can count towards your CPD portfolio. To find out more, please see the Get Involved page on the RCT website. |
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| Reporting concerns
All Registrants have a duty to report any concerns they may have in the workplace. If your complaint refers to an RCT registrant, or you are reporting the outcome of disciplinary proceedings taken by an employer against a registrant, please address this directly to the Secretary of the RCT Professional Conduct Committee (PCC). Complaints requiring a formal resolution might include concerns regarding a registrant’s conduct or alleged failure to meet the standards set out in the RCT Code of Professional Conduct. These types of complaints will require a complainant to set out in writing (letter or email): · the name of the individual about whom they wish to complain. · the nature of the complaint. · who has been involved so far. · what has/has not been done. · why they are not satisfied with the outcome; and · their own name and address and how we should contact them. If, for any reason, a complainant is unable to submit their complaint in writing (letter or email) then the complainant can contact the Secretary of the RCT PCC, by telephone, who will take down the details (as set out in the bullet list above) of the complaint on the complainant’s behalf. Please see the How to complain section of the RCT website for further information. |
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Direct debit payments for renewal fees – reminder
As mentioned in previous Registrar’s Updates, emails and on the RCT website, the only way in which all UK based registrants will be able to renew their registration from 2021 onwards is by setting up a direct debit. Your direct debit mandate needs to be received by our finance team by November 2020 at the latest to ensure that it is active in time for the 2021 renewal period. Please ensure that you submit your form in time to avoid your registration lapsing. We will be sending out monthly reminders until November. Please use this link to access the direct debit application form. |
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| New Clinical Computing scope of practice – reminder for interested parties
A reminder that we have recently introduced a new Clinical Computing scope of practice for the RCT and are about to commence piloting of the new scope, before introducing it for new applicants. If you know of anybody in your department who is working in Clinical Computing (management of computer systems, not software development) and is interested in applying to join the RCT, please ask them to email the RCT for further details of the pilot. |
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| COVID 19 – Coronavirus
With the continued presence of the Coronavirus, the Professional Standards Authority has produced guidance for registrants and the public. You can read their statement, here. |
Return from overseas practice policy
The RCT recognizes that some registrants may wish to work overseas for a period of time and maintain their registration during this period; or alternatively apply for a career break whilst away from the UK. We are currently developing a policy to help overseas registrants on their return to the UK and will bring you further news once this has been finalised. |
| Iain Threlkeld
The RCT Registrar |
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Registrar’s Finance Update December 2019
It has been a while since I first put together a finance update for all registrants. The aim back then was to answer the question about how your annual fee is spent by the register.
The RCT periodically sends out information via the registrars update. These are sent following the management board meetings which take place three times a year. We do this to keep registrants abreast of developments, but also to highlight matters which we need to make you aware of. As well as these I have also sent out updates on specific issues, such as the results of the CPD audit.
Often we receive little feedback from registrants about our communication, but following the last finance update, the IPEM office received an unprecedented number of emails thanking us for putting out this information. With this in mind, I feel it is about time we repeated this and provided you all with an updated explanation for how your registration fee will be spent by the RCT in 2020.
It is worth noting that IPEM supported the RCT financially for many years, however it is an important part of the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) accreditation that the Register demonstrates that it can be self-sustaining, so we can no longer reply on IPEM to do this.
This diagram demonstrates how the £24.75 renewal fee is divided between the financial commitments of the register.
The largest part of the fee is of course the £15.29 each registrant contributes to the running of the register. This includes such costs as office overheads and the website and online register. However the largest percentage of this is for staff time, which is provided by IPEM but funded by the RCT.
It was not until I became involved with the RCT management board that I saw how much time and effort the hard working IPEM staff contribute to us. There are roles which are essential such as writing and updating our policies and procedures and also getting us through the annual PSA accreditation. They also have hours and hours of work each year processing renewals and the CPD audit. It should be noted that we are moving towards only accepting renewal payments by direct debit and this will help make the register more efficient.
Moving round the chart, the next segment is the £0.99 spent on management board costs. The management board consists of 12 people who meet 3 times per year at the IPEM national office in York to manage the Register. These costs are to cover members’ travelling expenses but the room is provided free by IPEM. In addition, a small amount is set aside in case management board members need to travel to attend other meetings such as the annual conference held by the Professional Standards Authority who accredit the Register.
RCT disciplinary panel costs are £2.72 per registrant. All members of the Professional Conduct Committee of the RCT undergo annual training for their role which is held at the IPEM national office; again a room, and the training itself, is provided free by IPEM. In addition, a small amount is set aside in case disciplinary panel members need to travel to attend hearings. We have seen an increase in the number of cases heard by our Professional Conduct Committee over the last few years and this is reflected in the large increase in this area.
PSA fees are the second largest spend at £4.63. This is the cost of annual accreditation by the Professional Standards Authority.
Audit costs – the annual CPD audit involves assessors attending the IPEM National Office to assess the CPD summary forms of registrants selected for audit. The costs relate to those assessors travelling to the CPD audit day held for 2 days in May at the IPEM National Office in York; a room is provided free by IPEM. The cost of the annual CPD audit is £0.42 each; however a lot of the background work prior to this is carried out by the IPEM office staff and is captured in the ‘Running the Register’ percentage.
Application assessments costs at £0.44 include the training of all RCT application assessors for their role. This takes place annually at the IPEM office where again the room is provided free of charge by IPEM.
Finally promotion and publicity cost each registrant £0.26 a year. This covers the print and design of brochures, leaflets and posters to promote the Register and to educate the public about the RCT’s accredited register as well as about the work done by Clinical Technologists. In addition, the cost of the certificates sent to new registrants once they have been successful in their application to the Register is factored in.
I hope this explains how your annual fees are spent and when these are compared to other voluntary registers, it shows the RCT is run very effectively and manages to keep its fees as low as possible.
Yours sincerely
Mr Iain Threlkeld
The RCT Registrar
