Tardy physiotherapists who were hoping to find out how changes to the Health and Care Professions Council’s (HCPC) professional guidance will affect them by joining today’s one-off webinar at the last minute will be disappointed.

The HCPC has announced that this evening’s 90-minute public webinar – to be hosted by policy manager Rosemary Flowers-Wanjie – is fully booked.

Those holding tickets for the online event will have a unique opportunity to hear more about the updates, which come into effect on 1 September 2024, and about the consultation analysis that generated them. A consultation exercise, which ran from 27 March to 16 June this year, generated 218 responses and more than 200 people attended a series of HCPC consultation workshops.

However, the HCPC has promised that the session on its standards of conduct, performance and ethics and social media guidance, which starts at 6pm, will be recorded and that it will make a recording available afterwards.

[The HCPC has also announced a hike in registrants’ fees from this month – see more below].

Student and employer events to follow

The HCPC is hosting two further webinars led by Ms Flowers-Wanjie: places were still available at the time of writing for a student event on 6 November, while an event for employers, which will also cover an HCPC consultation on future English language proficiency requirements, is scheduled for 21 November.

The main areas of change are

• equality, diversity and inclusion
• communication
• duty of candour
• upskilling and training responsibilities
• managing existing health conditions and disabilities in the workplace

When engaging in online debate, ensure that your views are evidenced based, and that they are accurate to the best of your knowledge. Correct yourself if you have shared false, inaccurate or misleading information [HCPC]

Social media requirements

The HCPC has also updated its guidance on social media which, it says, explains ‘how registrants can meet the requirements on social media when using professional and personal accounts’. It explans: ‘When registrants use their personal accounts, they should be mindful of the impact their posts may have on their professional practice and their profession.’

In a section titled ‘Communicate appropriately’, for example, the HCPC states: ‘When using social media, think about the accuracy and truth of the content that you share or circulate. Check that the information originates from people and/or organisations that are trustworthy.

It adds: ‘When engaging in online debate, ensure that your views are evidenced based, and that they are accurate to the best of your knowledge. Correct yourself if you have shared false, inaccurate or misleading information’.

Sustainability issues

Meanwhile, the HCPC is updating its online materials to provide resources on practising sustainably. It will also be discussing sustainability as part of a review of its Standards of Education and Training during the coming year.

For more information on the updated standards of conduct, performance and ethics, click 

Fees increase

Following discussions with the Department of Health and Social Care and the Scottish Government, the HCPC announced last month that registrants can expect a fee rise of £18.24 to come into effect on 9 November, following parliamentary approval processes in Westminster and Scotland.
The necessary legislation to implement the new fee has been approved by the relevant Committees in the Scottish Parliament and now awaits final confirmation in the UK Parliament.
‘This increase will mean we can continue to protect the public and invest in planned improvements to our service. We will review our fees periodically in the context of our commitment to high quality regulation and long-term financial stability,’ it added.