Abolish the HPC

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Our new UK Government has very kindly set up a website where we can voice our opinions on any issues we feel should be addressed to make the UK a fairer place.

To post on the website you need to set up a username and password, you do NOT have to use your real name.

The link below takes you to the entry that has been set up calling for the HPC to be abolished.

Well worth a visit !!

http://yourfreedom.hmg.gov.uk/restoring-civil-liberties/abolish-the-health-professions-council-hpc

 

Oh I like it !!!!

Anyone been 'sampled' this year for their audit?

Nick

 

Glad to see this post has developed quite a bit of interest. I would encourage all Chiropodists to add their comments to the Government website. Let`s see if we can bring this useless quango to a stop !!

I first learned of the site from: http://hpcwatchdog.blogspot.com

This blog is run by a psychotherapist though all are welcome. The depth of investigation into the activities of the HPC is truly alarming. There is a lot to read on hpcwatchdog but I would strongly recommend anyone to visit, peruse and prepare to have their eyes opened to what is going on.

On a related note I found a petition to Government calling for HPC fees to be met by the State. The, (Labour), Governments response was .....

By paying the cost of regulation, registrants have greater involvement in the maintenance of professional standards.


The full petition response can be viewed here ...

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/[…]/Page16489

 

I`m very sorry I seem to have messed up the link, ( previous post ), to the Government petition to scrap fees.

I take full responsibility but society is to blame !!

The correct link is below.


http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ /http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page16489

 

Hi John,

>>By paying the cost of regulation, registrants have greater involvement in the maintenance of professional standards. <<

Hahahaha yeah well that just about sums up most politicians I think....no grip or understanding of reality!

But I'll bet they didn't think that they would get a response like this though!

Nick

 

You`re dead right there Nick.

They also, luckily, don`t seem to grasp the fact that the drivel they post on the internet is retrievable for a looooong time !

 

As Blair is finally finding out!!

 

This topic started because I found out about the petition to abolish the HPC by accident.

The petition originally only consisted of psychotherapists so I took the opportunity of passing the information to any Chiropody forums I could find and it must be said that the Chiropodists have, and are, responding in force.

But what about the other regulated professions?

How can we get the word to them and get them on board?

If you know anybody who might be interested then please let them know and make sure they understand that they do NOT have to leave their real names as this seems to cause fear in those who are already regulated.

Heres that link again !!

http://yourfreedom.hmg.gov.uk/restoring-civil-liberties/abolish-the-health-professions-council-hpc

 

John,

Here is the Physiotherapy equivalent of the Arena (with almost 20,000 members): http://www.physiobob.com/forum/

A well placed message on their forum would probably be the best way to get the word to them

Ian

 

Thanks Ian,

I`ve just put a feeler post on that forum.

 

Wow, John,

Thanks for the post and link, just been on there.

If enough people get together change can take place.
Has anyone considered a petition?

Wow, you know its like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, regulation is control.

It might be of interest to the arena, that it is not easy to leave the HPC and de-regulate and become a foot health practitioner, because no-one will insure you, unless you have done the foot practitioner training, regardless that you are a qualified Podaitrist. I was prepared to drop my title!! just to be free,but it would leave me un-employed.

Now how is this protecting the public??
How does the HPC know what i need to learn to stay safe in practice?? My CPD portfolio says nothing about my ability to do my job!!!

Also my thoughts went out to ALL Podiatrists/Chiropodists who had been doing a grand job for many years and lost the right to use the title if they could not do the grandparenting, for whatever reason. I was new out of Uni at the time and met some wonderful Podiatrists, who were relegated to Foot Health practitioners, when quite frankly they had more experience than me at the time, infact one of them 20years. Cant see the justice here.

I am intending to visit my local MP.
Any comments would be appreciated, but a big thank you for the info John, its nice to know im not alone with what i feel and think.

 

Sorry,i meant protest!!! not petition.

 

May I refer readers to the following which is taken directly from the HPC website.

The comments in italics are my own.

The HPC publication from which this information was taken can be downloaded from here...

http://www.hpc-uk.org/assets/documents/10001314CPD_and_your_registration.pdf

The particular reference to CPD and competency will be found on page 4
of the publication.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The HPC publication has this this to say about CPD ...

There is no automatic link between your CPD and your competence.

Then why is CPD held to be so important in
proving our competence ?

This is because it would be possible (although unlikely) for a competent professional not to undertake any CPD and yet still meet our standards for their skills and knowledge.

Why would it be unlikely?
If a professional meets the HPC standards of skills and knowledge without
undertaking CPD then surely, by definition, they are up to standard ?

Equally, it would be possible for a registrant who was not competent to complete a lot of CPD activities but still not be fit to practise.

If you are not competent then you are not competent !
This is a matter for FTP if, and when, a complaint is made about the
lack of competence !

We have a separate process (our fitness to practise procedures) for dealing with lack of competence, and this is not linked to our powers to make sure registrants undertake CPD. (You can find out more about our fitness to practise procedures on our website at www.hpc-uk.org.)

I think this is covered in the above paragraph !

The Health Professions Order 2001 says that we can set standards for CPD, and we can link these standards to renewing registration.

I remind you of the first line, direct from the HPC website...

There is no automatic link between your CPD and your competence.

We can also take registrants off our Register if they have not met our standards for CPD (although there is a right to appeal).

So there is no link between competence and CPD.

The CPD standards are set by and assessed by non professionals.

You can be struck off for not meeting these unnecessary standards.

 

On another note, when you received your HPC registration renewal documents you may possibly have missed the entry on page 16 of the pamphlet that accompanied the renewal form.

Don`t feel bad, it`s not your fault because it was very well hidden.

Have a look at page 16 and you will see that the HPC can "share", (sell ?), your personal data for "marketing purposes" unless you specifically ask them not to. This request to opt out must be made in writing.

 

Hi to all,

So far i have been under HPC registration for the last 4 years now and i do not find any difficulty in what they seem to achieved, yes you have to achieved all your CPD points to qualify as a registrant, i do not think it is a problem unless we as practitioners are not keeping up to it, we should only worried if you are not capable on their standards, i am practicing in Singapore and as long as you meet the practiotioners standard and have a qualifying insurance with it to practice you will be registered, i do not understand sometimes practitioners posed unnecessary protest when it is supposed to benefit all practitioners.
And the main key here is their is a standard set for the benefits of the patients or clients.. It is definitely to do with different training backgrounds and professional title thats comes with it.

Cheers

 

Hello Chirotech,

Thanks for the message, it is certainly very important to hear both sides of any discussion in order to form a clear picture of the subject.

I suppose the real question we have is "what is the purpose of the HPC" ?

I went to their website today to get the latest definition .....

We are a regulator, and we were set up to protect the public. To do this, we keep a register of health professionals who meet our standards for their training, professional skills, behaviour and health.

You can see that the only purpose is to protect the public, and the only people the public are being protected from are us, the registrants.

Now bear in mind that practitioners operate in two different areas, public (e.g NHS ), and private practice.

Within the public sector we already have safeguards in place. If a person is performing below standard then local management can, and certainly should, step in to remedy any shortcomings. In cases of serious lack of competence then that person can be removed from employment.

In the private sector the very worst that the HPC can do is to remove the person from the register. This does not stop them from continuing in practice under another title.

In both the public and private sector we still have criminal proceedings for any instance of criminal activity.

Logic would seem to suggest that in the public sector the HPC is an unnecessary duplication of procedures that already exist and in the private sector the HPC is actually impotent.

So to go back to the purpose of the HPC, how exactly are the public any safer since the HPC came into existence?

 

The next thing the HPC have in store for us is REVALIDATION.

This goes far beyond CPD.

If adopted, and it probably will be if the HPC gets its way, you will have to undergo regular testing to prove that you can do your job.

The HPC publication on this subject can be found here ....

http://www.hpc-uk.org/assets/docume...rdsanevidence-basedapproachtorevalidation.pdf

 

Hello John

I would go further and remark that in the private sector the vast majority of HPC registerable practitioners, no matter whether they be pods, psychotherapists or others or whether they are in public or private practice, are members of a professional body. It was the professional bodies who originally, and still do, set standards. Ultimately, if a practitioner fails to meet those standards then they can be expelled from the professional body and lose insurance. In addition, the law allows for a negligent individual to be sued. As you mention, such a practitioner can still set up under another title and these have proliferated since the inception of the regulatory body. Effectively therefore, far from protecting the population, the HPC has had an overall negative effect in protection of the public!

Bill Liggins

 

Thanks John, well i guess all this started when HPC started regulating or protecting practitioners title...As it was indeed handled by a governing body before they came out of the picture, will wait and see as to what would be the outcome to these particular issue.


Cheers

 

Well I put a feeler post onto the physiotherapy site supplied by Ian but nobody has contacted me yet.

However !!!, It has come to pass that the HPC is seeking to regulate the UKs Social and Care workers, an estimated 100,761 extra fee payers !!

I have joined one of their forums and they are very unclear what registration actually means.

Don`t forget, we were exactly the same before the penny dropped !

Naturally I will do my best to enlighten them and will keep you posted.

 

Well I can`t seem to raise much interest with the physiotherapists, maybe the forum I posted on wasn`t the right one to get to the workers who are really affected.

On a much brighter note, the paramedics have at last found the "Abolish the HPC" website and I would expect them to be loud in their protest. After all, the paramedics have really been on thr receiving end in terms of complaints and FTP hearings.

 

um....to make money?

 

Oh I just LOVE a fellow cynic !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Nick

 

I am as horrified as anyone as to what the HPC is doing with regards to the nature of some of the cases that appear before it, but:

Can I play the devils advocate?

How much notice do you think the govt is really going to take of members of the professions that the HPC regulates?

Surely, if they are going to take notice of anyone, it will be the general public if they consider themselves not being protected? (and not the professions telling them they are not really being protected?)

If the professions being regulated are crying out how bad the system is, then does this actually indicate to the govt that the system is working?

BUT, hey what do I know, I live half way around the world...

 

Craig,

The problem is that the vast majority of the public don't know who the HPC are or what they do or what the initials stand for!

Probably they care even less as well.

It isn't actually helped by practitioners still advertising themsleves as 'State Registered'.

Let's face it we belong to a Society with 2 occupational names attached to it ~ and bizarrely we have to pay to use either of those titles to a body who no one else other than us poor sods knows anything about!

No wonder the HPC keep changing their 'promotional' leaflets and posters and then ask us to display them.

Dooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhh

:deadhorse:

Nick

 

Very little, if all that happens is that a minority of professionals petition or protest. If, on the other hand, the same number of professionals deregister and continue to use the same titles as they always had, then they come into direct conflict with the HPC and the legislation. Providing they articulate their concerns to the public and government over the performance and action of the regulator, then that's a whole different ball game. Difficult to do when you are employed by the the NHS - but the majority of the podiatric profession in the UK practice in the private sector - which offers them a unique advantage over their state employed colleagues. Who are principled enough to determine a better future for podiatry?

Mark Russell
Podiatrist

 

All,
I once saw a sticker in the back of a car that said :-

Make your MP work - vote for them !

which I thought was quite funny.

I adopt that philosophy with regard to the HPC. Unfortunately, like FHPs, they aren't going to go away, so we have to "run with what we've got". If they say they exist to protect the public, then we should ensure they do just that by sending them every Misuse of Title we come across.

CF

 

Well you can start with me - and then grass on some of the 1500 other colleagues who were previously state registered podiatrists that have also deregistered over the last two years. Your suggestion that we make the HPC "work for us" has the same ring to it that the Society use in regard to the HPC. Has this approach worked? Even with several prominent podiatrists on the HPC Council and as partners? Time to pull your head out of whatever hole you've got it stuck in, Catfoot, and reconsider just what successive governments are doing to the professions - and whether you want to sit idly by or do something about it.

 

OK Mark,
I've got my head free and you have my full undivided attention.

What do you think should be done about it?

CF

 

My view is that all the professions should have a dedicated registrar/regulator - the opposite of the political direction in recent years. Why? The purpose of the registrar is multifaceted. At undergraduate/training level it is to ensure courses are delivered at a minimum standard and instituitions are properly validated for content, examination, clinical experience etc. At graduate and beyond the best description is one of interlocutor between the profession and its service users - the public, employers and the institutions, including the government. The HPC's primary aim is to protect the public and was set up in the climate following Alder Hey, Bristol and Shipman, and that ethos is one that defines the organisation up to the present day. Whilst the regulatory role through Fitness to Practice is important to maintian public confidence, it should not be its primary function. Rather its primary focus should be to maintain and develop the professional base - of which regulation is but one part. The professional development role is, in my view, critical. Podiatry has, during my lifetime, made significant progress in the clinical arena - surgery, biomechanics, for example - and yet the gulf between the delivery of these areas at undergraduate and those at say, advanced practice and research level - widens each year. The profession needs to consider what is the best way to consolodate and promote good practice and it's the registrar who should assist in facilitating the profession in reaching these goals by acting as intermediary between the profession and the government. This is the difficult part as on previous form, governments and the professions have always been at loggerheads - so it is vital that the registrar remains as independant as possible and free from political influence. Finally, much of the criticism - well justified in my view - is how the registrar dispenses the regulatory and FtP functions. I don't think it's neccessary to regurgitate them again here as I'm sure most clinicians appreciate the issues and solutions. Shall we get this relationship with the HPC or its successor? I doubt it. Should we rely on the professional bodies to try and change from within? Have they succeeded to date? No. What would happen if podiatrists resigned en masse from the HPC and created a new registrar - a GPC for example? I think many of the other professions would follow suit. Will it ever happen? Probably not - as most people aren't in the slightest motivated enough.

End of rant.

MR

 

Mark,
Thanks for your posting which contains much information which I need to go away and inwardly digest.

I hope to have a response in a little while .....................

Catflap

 

John

That may well be the case. As the law stands, if you are not registered with the HPC you cannot call yourself by one of the titles encompassed by the Health Professions Order. That is the advice the Society and HPC will give you if you enquire. Of course, there is a grey area. I graduated with a DPodM from Edinburgh School of Chiropody which allowed me to apply for membership of the SCP and enter my name on the State Register. I have practised safely (I hope!) for the past 27 years and with the exception of one malicious and unfounded allegation (by another colleague) without incident in regards to the registrar.

I wrote to the registrar two years ago outlining my concerns - and have copied my correspondence here. I did not receive any reply. After two months I wrote to indicate I would be deregistering but my intention was to carry on before and practice as I have always done. The only further correspondence was from the FtP section (again) advising that they had another complaint that our practice website suggested we were supplying chiropody/podiatry and I should remove all such wording as to comply with the law.

I spoke to the very pleasant gentleman at the HPC who advised the official line but we also had a conversation around the issues raised - one of which was the Human Rights Act and he agreed this was untested in respect of the Health Professions Order and it would probably need a test case to resolve it. There was a discussion around the other issues - the defects in the law regarding regulation and the processes involved under the FtP hearing scheme - none of which he disagreed with personally, but officially he could not comment!

We are where we are presently and there may be a test case. But I cannot help but wonder what would happen if several hundred podiatrists (or more) deregistered in principle rather than just one or two who were prepared to stick their heads above the parapet. In reflection, you and Bill were probably correct several years ago in pushing for a dedicated registrar like the GPC - but that would have taken a great deal of courage from Fellmongers - and a little sacrifice too from those who sipped from the poisoned chalice!

All the best

 

I'm reminded of mine and my other half's family backgrounds, coming as we both do from families tied to the pits. "Yet what you need is not marches, demonstrations, rallies or wide associations, all of them are important. What you need is direct action. The sooner people understand that, the sooner we'll begin to change things." - Arthur Scargill. And coal mining in the UK is now flourishing.:bash:

 

Mark

I am interested to see that 1500 colleagues have deregistered. That seems to be a huge percentage, and I am not aware of any in my area. Where do you get your figures from? I am considering this move myself although I am not convinced that it will make a blind bit of difference to the HPC per se.

Cornmerchant

 

Like wise. My grandfather was a blacksmith in the pits and I grew up in a mining village in Fife. Scargill had many flaws, but he was right in what he was fighting for - the problem was it was portrayed as a class war - one that Thatcher had to win and would have at any cost. I'm not interested in spearheading direct action against the HPC, Simon. I only want what's best for my patients and my profession. I once thought, naively, the best way to do so was through the professional body, but like all forms of governance, there is a different agenda taking place that isn't apparent until you reach a certain place in the journey. To make the biggest impact, you practice to the best of your ability; do the best for your patients and be true to your self, your principles and your own standards. And bugger the rest of them.

And you know what hacks me off worst of all? How we've squandred the potential of what was a very promising profession in the UK. We had countless opportunities over the last two decades to really push the boundaries back and where are we now? In many ways back four or five decades - a fragmented profession without any real direction or collective future.

Last time I bought coal in Fife it came from New Zealand. Must have been a very deep pit.....

 

Mark,
I agree with most of what you say in your posting.

However, while I admire those who choose to deregulate on a point of principle I don't think it will make an iota of difference.

The problems with the profession (and here I use the word "profession" loosely to encompass all who provide footcare) is both anatomical and financial.

Feet have no mystique, everyone has them and everyone can see them. So the world and his wife think they can "do feet".
The set up costs to "do feet" are minimal and "doing feet" can be a part-time occupation. The private trainers have used this fact to promote their courses very effectively and continue to sign up a steady stream of suckers who fall for their "get rich quick" rhetoric.

Compare this to say, dentistry and opthalmic optics, where the part of the anatomy being treated is only accessible to another person with very specialised equipment which requires a huge capital outlay for the intial purchase.

These factors will not change.

I learned a long time ago not to expend energy fighting battles you can't win and this is one of them. If that makes me someone with their head in a hole, so be it.

Craig sums it up nicely -

I believe that change will only come from outside pressures and not internally.

Catmint

 

:butcher:How much would the government save if they disbanded the HPC and handed

regulation back to all our Professional Bodies ? Has anyone looked closely at

their expenses (HPC) ?:butcher:

 

Eanna,
They would probably save millions - but they would lose control and that wouldn't do would it ?

igs:

Catnip

Having re-read that statement I could be in error as I realise that the HPC is mainly funded by Registrants. The control issue still applies though. I don't recall any government relinquishing control of any organisation unless there were very strong financial reasons for doing so eg: British Rail