Improving professional regulation in health and social care:
interdisciplinary insights
PSA Conference, Windsor, 28 March 2014
The importance of research
in regulatory development
Anna van der Gaag
Chair
Health and Care Professions Council
Outline
• What are the drivers for change?
• Some examples of the impact of research in regulation
• Looking to the future
The Health and Care Professions Council
• UK wide regulator of 16 health, psychological and social work
professions
• Purpose: “to safeguard the health and well-being of persons
using or needing the services of registrants” – Article 3(4)
• Work overseen by Professional Standards Authority for Health
and Social Care (PSA)
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HCPC Register
321,735 registrants from 16 professions (3 February 2014)
90,000
80,000
70,000
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
0
What are the drivers for change?
Drivers for change
political
context
research
practice
Policy change
Source: Overseas Development Institute circa 1999
Drivers for change in regulation
Political context
Research
Health and care
practice
Regulatory change
Evidence based health and social care
A strong imperative to deliver evidence based care
Shouldn’t regulators do the same?
Research methodologies in regulation
Descriptive
++++++++++++++
Longditudinal
++
Qualitative
++++++++
Quantitative
+++++++
Mixed methods
++++
Randomisation
?
(Could be applied in a study of the impact of continuing fitness to
practise).
Evidence based regulation
HCPC’s strategic objective (2009)
To build the evidence base of regulation
Commissioning
Dissemination
Improvement in our processes
www.hcpc-uk.org/publications/research
Examples of research in regulation
Meaning and mechanisms
• Understanding the fitness to practise experience
• Service user involvement in education
• Service user feedback tools
• Student fitness to practise
• Public awareness
• Costs of regulation
Fitness to Practise
Expectations of the fitness to practise complaints process (IPSOS
2010)
Led to
changes in our literature and communications
changes to the process and
influenced our thinking on mediation and its role in regulation
www.hcpc-uk.org/publications/research
Professionalism
• What is perceived as
‘professionalism’?
• Students and educators
• Chiropodists / podiatrists,
occupational therapists and
paramedics
The nature of competence
“The way competence has evolved is as a measurement. It has been
stripped away from the constructs of care, motivation and confidence. In
Ontario, pharmacists are measured on one day, a six hour assessment.
Does this mean they are competent?
Professor Zubin Austin
HCPC seminar, 5 February 2014.
The future? More transformative research
• Regulators increasingly alert to the contribution of research
• Emphasis must be on better understanding of the meaning and the
mechanics of regulation
Selected HCPC Research Reports
Gulland, J (2008) Scoping report on existing research on complaints mechanisms.
HPC (2009) Continuing fitness to practise; towards an evidence based approach to revalidation.
Morrow et al (2009) Professionalism in healthcare professionals.
Ipsos Mori (2010) Expectations of the fitness to practice complaints process.
Irvine et al (2011) Alternative mechanism for resolving disputes: a literature review.
Chisholm et al (2011) Service user feedback tools: an evidence review.
Mitchell, L (2012) Student fitness to practise and registration: a literature review
Moore et al (2013) Exploring views on the Fitness to Practise of health and care professionals
www.hcpc-uk.org/publications/research
Contact details
anna.vandergaag@hcpc-uk.org
@AnnavdG
www.hcpc-uk.org
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