A register lists health and care professionals who meet the relevant standards for their education, training, professional skills, conduct and health. Registers are electronic, searchable and accessed via the internet, and they can be statutory, accredited, or voluntary:
Statutory registers
Statutory registers cover health and care professionals working in occupations that Parliament has said must be regulated. Statutory registers include organisations such as the General Medical Council (GMC), which regulates doctors; the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), which regulates nurses and midwives; and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), which regulates certain health, psychological, and social work professionals. It is a criminal offence for anyone not on a statutory register to practise in these regulated occupations.
Regulators holding statutory registers must:
- Set standards of competence and conduct that health and care professionals must meet in order to be registered and practise.
- Check the quality of education and training courses to ensure they equip students with the skills and knowledge to practise safely and competently.
- Maintain a publicly searchable register.
- Investigate complaints about people on their register and decide whether they should be allowed to continue practising or be struck off the register, either because of problems with their conduct or their competence.
Accredited registers
Accredited registers are a relatively recent approach to regulation, established by the government in preference to statutory registers. In 2012 the Health and Social Care Act extended the role of the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) to include accrediting registers of people working in health and care occupations not regulated by statute.
To obtain accreditation an organisation must show they have met the PSA’s specific and demanding standards by means of a rigorous application process. PSA standards cover areas such as governance, setting standards for registrants (including education and training), and register management. Organisations are re-accredited annually, provided they can demonstrate that they continue to meet PSA standards.
The PSA ensures that organisations holding accredited registers manage them effectively and follow good practice whilst the organisation holding the accredited register makes sure their registrants meet their standards and will take action if they do not.
It is not compulsory for unregulated practitioners to apply to join an accredited register. They choose to do it because it shows their commitment to their area of work and and makes them part of a professional community that operates to high standards. If a practitioner is struck off an accredited register, they are not permitted to join another accredited register.
Voluntary registers
Voluntary registers are those that are not covered by statute and are not accredited by the PSA.