HCPC letter sets out regulator response to winter working conditions

The letter to the allied health professions, co-signed by the HCPC and senior NHS officials, recognises the need to adapt practice at times of significantly increased national pressure.

In the letter, the signatories – including the chief allied health professions (AHP) officers in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland – acknowledge that working conditions may mean practitioners ‘may need to depart from established procedures to care for people’.

The letter seeks to alleviate any concerns for AHPs, including registered physios, that for any departure that may result in a referral to the regulator, the context of the current working climate would be taken into consideration.

‘In the unlikely event that you are referred to your professional regulator, they will consider the context you were working in at the time, including all relevant resources, guidelines, or protocols’, the letter adds.

The signatories also reiterate that it is the responsibility of all providers commissioned by the NHS and healthcare leaders ‘to ensure that all clinicians working in their organisations are well supported in their work, and that channels for raising and acting on concerns remain open and accessible to all staff.’

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