The RCT Panel consists of two Registrant representatives.  The role of these individuals is to represent the views of Registrants on the RCT Management Panel and contribute to the management of the Register. This entails attending three RCT Panel meetings in York each year; these being in February, June and October.  Two vacancies have arisen for Registrant representatives and applications for these positions are now invited from RCT Registrants.

If you are an IPEM member would like to submit an application, please visit the ‘Get Involved’ page on the IPEM website when you are logged into your account, where you will find the role description and generic application form, or visit the RCT website.

There have been slight amendments to both of these policies recently. Amended documents have been uploaded to the RCT website and if you wish to submit applications for a career break or career change, please ensure that you read the new versions of the documents. These can be viewed here.

There are still a small number of Registrants with no work location held on the RCT website. These Registrants were contacted recently and asked to provide this information. If you have been contacted and have not yet responded, please email this information to us on enquiries@therct.org.uk as soon as possible.

We currently have a vacancy for a lay member to sit on the RCT panel. Lay members are appointed to provide a wider perspective on healthcare and public protection and are not part of the technologist profession. The lay members attend Panel meetings and contribute to all aspects of the Panel’s work. The positions are unremunerated but travel expenses will be paid in line with IPEM’s policy. If you know somebody who has an interest in healthcare and the role of healthcare professionals; are committed to improving the quality of public services; and are keen to work alongside professionals to develop the technologist profession this voluntary role may be for them. Please direct them to the vacancy on the RCT website.

We currently have vacancies for RCT Assessors on the RCT panel. If you are registered on the RCT are looking for a new challenge, this is an interesting and varied role to add to your CV and could also count towards your CPD. If you are an IPEM member and would like to submit an application, please visit the ‘Get Involved’ page on the IPEM website when you are logged into your account, where you will find the role description and generic application form; or see the RCT website.

The CPD audit is being finalised with 34 registrants being re-audited. Once this process has been completed, the results will be published on the RCT website and a report will be emailed to all Registrants. Please remember to keep a record of your activities on the RCT Detailed Record of CPD Activity form which is available from the RCT website. This will make it easier for you to collate your information if you are selected for audit next year.

As of 1^st July 2018 we no longer accept cheques as payment for application or renewal fees. As we have many other more convenient ways of payment, we think that this will not impact too much on Registrants. Online payments and direct debits are by far the the preferred method of most Registrants. Processing fees applied by the bank have risen significantly and this method of accepting payment is no longer sustainable.  In addition, the processing time is significant for the amount of cheques received.

The RCT Management Panel is to be renamed the RCT Board to better reflect the level of responsibility the members of the Panel undertake.  It is also a way to distinguish the RCT as having its own board rather than being a Panel of IPEM. The Panel agreed to the name change which would take effect in September at the beginning of the next corporate year.

The RCT Registrar

We are once again approaching the time of year when we carry out the CPD audit. The office will soon be sending out the emails to everyone selected for audit, so I thought it may be worth sharing some information in advance. We have seen several registrants removed from the register recently for failing the audit, with some failing to even submit any evidence of CPD. I would therefore urge everyone to fully engage with the process to ensure this does not happen to you.

The RCT has some very useful information on our website here. I would recommend everyone to spend some time reading the information which has been put together to help you all pass the audit if selected. We even have some anonymised submissions from previous CPD audits to help guide you, although I would hope you have already been recording your CPD as it has been happening throughout the year.

Can you also ensure the office has your correct contact details, if anything has changed recently with your email address then you will need to contact us? We don’t want anyone to fail to respond to a request to submit evidence of CPD due to not having kept their details up to date.

Many Registrants’ took up the offer of receiving a free batch of leaflets, posters and departmental certificates when we last offered them. These are still available and if you would like to order some, please email your name and work address (including department) to enquiries@therct.ac.uk

We have received a lot of positive feedback from Registrants following the recent Finance Update which was forwarded to registrants in December 2017. Thank you to all those who have taken the time to read it and provide feedback. If you would like to view the report again, it can be downloaded here.

There are nearly 80,000 healthcare professionals on accredited registers in the UK, representing a huge workforce with potential to make a significant contribution to promoting and protecting the public’s health. In order to better understand their role in this regard, the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) and the Professional Standards Authority (the Authority) have undertaken a joint project to uncover the ways that accredited registers (AR) occupations are already supporting the public’s health, and explore the factors that may be hampering their further utilisation.

You may have heard about this project and its aims. One of the key recommendations is for registers to consider introducing a health assessment tool which could be used by practitioners with all their new clients. It was felt that such a tool, if used well, could help provide practitioners with the rationale and opportunity for healthy conversations with their patients.

Read the full report here.

The RCT complies with the Data Protection Act 1998, and is preparing to comply with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) which will come into force from May 2018. The information that we publish about you in the online register is your name, registration number, approximate geographical area of practice and the date your registration started. It is important that you keep the RCT informed of any changes to your personal details so that we are able to keep touch with you; particularly as renewal and audit communications are circulated via email.

We take data protection seriously and do not share your data with third parties. We keep details of your application for the duration of your registration and if you leave the register this is securely held for an additional of two years; after which time it is securely disposed of. You can read the full Policy on Information here, and the Privacy Policy here.

We have now had 24 successful applicants through the Equivalence route. If you have new recruits in your department, please encourage them to apply if they are eligible for admission via Equivalence. We are hoping to ask some of our recent candidates to write a case study for the website later this year.

We still have a small number of registrants with no Scope of Practice listed. Please check the online register and if you have no Scope listed alongside your details, please inform us of this as soon as possible. Further details on the Scopes can be found via the following link.

The RCT Registrar

The annual audit of RCT registrants took place in May 2017. A total of 51 RCT registrants were randomly selected for audit. In addition three registrants were pre-selected following the outcome of the last audit, and three self-selected. The full report on the audit can be read here.

Technicians play a crucial role in most types of business. The UK needs thousands more each year to meet demands. ‘Technicians Make it Happen’ is a sector wide initiative being led by the Science Council to that will highlight this. However, to ensure it has an impact, they need your support. We need you to help us inspire more young people to consider this type of work. Further details can be found via the website: http://technicians.org.uk/

The Scope of Practice for Registrants has now been added to the online Register. We now ask all Registrants to check your entry and inform the RCT Administrator if you see any errors or omissions. If you have moved location and notice this needs updating, please inform us of this as soon as possible. It is a Registrant’s responsibility to keep the RCT up to date of their details at all times.

We are delighted to confirm that the PSA has approved our re-accreditation application for the coming year. There were no concerns raised by the accreditation team and we look forward to the year ahead.

We are pleased to report that Dave Easton and Ian Wilde have both been nominated by their respective bodies (IHEEM and ART) to stand for a further term on the management panel.

PSA fees are currently under review. The RCT has responded to the PSA regarding their proposal for a review of accreditation fees and we are confident that any changes will have minimal impact of the current cost of registration.

The new professional conduct committee (PCC) are now fully trained and ready to act on behalf of the RCT should any issues which require their input are raised. The management panel would like to thank our new volunteers for taking up this challenging role.

There is to be a separate financial overview, giving a detailed breakdown on RCT expenditure. This is currently being put together and will be sent to all Registrants when finalised. This should answer any questions you may have about how your fees are spent.

All registrants who fail to renew their registration by the deadline of 31^st January will show as ‘Lapsed’ on the online Register. This status will remain against the registrants name for a period of 12 months.  After this time the status will change to De-Registered. All registrants who do not renew their registration by the deadline, will be required to submit a new application and pay the appropriate fee if they wish to be admitted back onto the Register. The best way to avoid registration lapsing is to set up a direct debit.

The management panel meeting dates for 2018 are as follows:

Tuesday 13 February 2018

Wednesday 6 June 2018

Thursday 18 October 2018

Summary minutes from the October 2017 meeting can now be found on the RCT website.

In 2018 we are introducing the option for RCT registrants to pay their renewal fee by monthly direct debit.  If you do not pay by direct debit at present, or if you already pay by annual direct debit, you will have the option to pay by monthly payments. Email communications have been circulated regarding this, but if you missed this, and would like to pay by monthly direct debit, please request a form.   If you would rather pay by annual direct debit, download a form.

The RCT Registrar

The RCT CPD audit took place on 16 May and 63 registrants (2.5% of the register) were selected for audit.  Of the 63 audited, 16 did not submit any CPD. Of the 47 who did submit, 27 passed and 20 did not pass.  These 20 were required to re-submit and of these 7 did not do so.   Thank you to all those who submitted their CPD for audit. A full report will be circulated in due course.

It has been confirmed that Andy Mosson will remain as assistant registrar for a full term of three years from his start date of 1 September 2016 which was initially to be a temporary one year term for consistency and transition purposes. The panel welcomed this decision.

The Professional Standards Authority has recently released a statement recommending the use of practitioners who are registered on accredited registers only:

‘Accredited registers meet our demanding standards including protecting the public, governance, education and training, risk management and complaints handling. Practitioners on accredited registers:

 Meet approved levels of education and training and continuing professional development

 Sign up to codes of conduct and competence

 Are subject to disciplinary procedures if something goes wrong.

Accredited registers provide a safety net. A practitioner who is struck off one accredited register (or by a regulator) may not simply join another accredited register’ Read their full statement here.

You can now check the PSA register for a particular healthcare professional via: www.checkapractitioner.com

There is an assessor training day planned for September, which is open to our newly appointed assessors and existing assessors, and will give a complete overview of all RCT assessment processes. This will be held in York.

It is now time to apply for re-accreditation with the PSA. This is an annual process and the deadline for our application is Friday 28^th July. Progress can be followed on the PSA website here.

A new return from career break notification form has been introduced for all registrants who have returned to work after a career break. This must be submitted to the RCT when you return to work under your original Scope of Practice. If you return to work under a different Scope of Practice, then you will be required to complete the Career Change Notification form. Please see the Career Break policy on the RCT website for full details.

As mentioned in the last Registrars update, we are adding the Scope of Practice under which you are registered to the online register. We have been able to add this for many registrants from existing records; however some records remain blank. We have recently contacted all Registrants to ask you to confirm which Scope you are working under. Please respond to this communication as soon as possible, so that the online register can be updated effectively.

The remaining Meeting planned for 2017 is:

Thursday 19 October 2017, at Fairmount House,

230 Tadcaster Road, York, YO24 1ES.

Summary minutes from the June 2017 meeting can now be found on the RCT website.

In 2018 we are introducing the option for RCT registrants to pay their renewal fee by monthly direct debit.  If you do not pay by direct debit at present, or if you already pay by annual direct debit, you will have the option to pay by monthly payments. Email communications will shortly be circulated regarding this, so please keep a look out for the instructions.

The RCT Registrar