Advice line: Data management and HCPC registration

The CSP is refining how it maintains information on members’ registration with the UK regulator, the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). This year and next we will be making it easier for existing members and applicants to provide their HCPC registration status. 

 

HCPC registration is already a condition of full CSP membership. This is because it is a requirement for practising as a physiotherapist in the UK and is integral to protecting the title of ‘physiotherapist’. 

 

Regulatory arrangements guard against the reputation of UK physiotherapy being undermined by individuals who are not qualified or currently registered to practise the profession. 

 

Registration with the HCPC is an important cornerstone of qualified members’ professionalism. It is key to demonstrating accountability and commitment to delivering high-quality, compassionate care to patients. This is important whether members treat patients directly, or whether they lead, manage or develop the profession and its future members through non-clinical roles. 

 

‘Practising your profession’ is interpreted broadly by the HCPC. This means it includes all activities and roles that draw upon and use the knowledge and skills of a qualified physiotherapist. 

 

The way the HCPC regulates – by profession and protection of their respective titles, rather than defining professions’ specific functions or activities – means professions can develop their scope of practice in line with changing patient and service needs, based on evidence. It also means that individual registrants can develop their practice to reflect their evolving competence.

 

Changes to the CSP process will uphold the value of full membership and the chartered status that goes with it. They will make clearer what services and benefits are offered within different membership categories, so members can secure the membership package that best meets their needs at each career stage.