Meet the HCPC – Southampton

HCPC Chair Elaine Buckley discusses the importance of our Meet the HCPC events in meeting registrants on a regular basis and our recent visit to Southampton.

Our Meet the HCPC events form are a vital part of our stakeholder activity to get out and meet the health and care professionals that are on our Register. We have been doing these events across the UK since 2004 and they are crucial for us to hear about registrant experiences, issues and challenges. This month we were in Southampton to explain what we do at the HCPC and explore with participants what we can all do to help prevent fitness to practise concerns.

Despite the weather, we were joined by colleagues from 13 of the professions we regulate with the majority being social workers. The energy, enthusiasm and engagement in the room across both sessions and during the workshop on how we all work together to prevent fitness to practise concerns was encouraging. We also have some valuable feedback from all those involved which we can now reflect on as an organisation.

Through the course of the discussions across both sessions there were several take home messages.  With those being that 76% of complaints we receive are about conduct and behaviour and not about competency and that good quality and focused education is key to registrants maintaining effective and safe practice. 

During the discussions, there were themes arising round the fact that we all needed to be alert in recognising the signs when colleagues may be struggling and the need to engage in supportive conversations. Supportive working environments are critical in ensuring practitioners can raise concerns and seek help. Informal peer mentoring through to formal supervision were all other ways to help and support each other. Some of the discussion also highlighted the importance of maintaining professional networks especially when practicing in isolated settings. 

The comments from participants were encouraging in that they felt it was helpful to meet people from the HCPC and they were pleased to hear that fitness to practise is only a small part of the work we do. The opportunity to take publications relevant to their profession was also valuable as were the discussions around the sorts of research we do.

As an evidence informed regulator, it is crucial we commission research into issues relevant to our role. It is the outcomes of the research we do that will help us make better decisions, drive continuous improvement and assist us in engaging with our stakeholders.

We’d like to thank everyone that attended the event and for their valuable contributions at both sessions.

Our next Meet the HCPC event will be in Eastbourne on Wednesday 27 September 2017.

If you’d like any of the publications, reports or research from HCPC, visit our Publications section.