- Conference
- 2018 Health Care Service Group Conference
- Date
- 7 December 2017
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes the ‘Promoting professionalism, reforming regulation’ consultation by the four UK governments which closed in January 2018. This consultation was long overdue but now that it is finally moving forward, Conference believes it presents opportunities to rationalise the system of professional regulation in healthcare and make it fit for the 21st century.
Conference notes that the current regulation landscape is without rhyme or reason. Nursing Associates in England will be regulated but not Assistant Practitioners. Biomedical scientists are regulated but Clinical Physiologists are not. Pharmacy technicians are regulated in Great Britain but not in Northern Ireland.
Conference believes that a more consistent and rational approach to regulation will benefit patients, staff and NHS services.
Conference calls on the Service Group Executive to:
1)Use the next stages of the government review to push for progress on rationalising regulation and, where the risk to patients is deemed to warrant it, extending it. This could include groups such as clinical physiologists and physician associates;
2)Continue to lobby and campaign for safeguards to prevent excessive fees being charged, and curb fee hikes which outstrip pay rises;
3)Push for any cost savings achieved through economies of scale to be fedback to registrants through lower fees;
4)Push for new requirements that all regulators must offer pro-rata fees for part-time registrants and a monthly payment option;
5)Lobby and campaign for regulation to offer more support for professionals and professionalism, and more sanctions for employers that do not respect and support professionals to uphold standards.