GOsC responds to Law Commission consultation on regulation

The GOsC has published its response to the Law Commission’s consultation on the regulation of health and social care professionals.

The consultation, which ran from 1 March to 31 May 2012, was part of a project commissioned by the Department of Health, which is expected to lead to a new consolidated Act of Parliament covering the current nine health and social care regulators.

The consultation paper made provisional proposals with the aim of simplifying and modernising the law, and establishing a streamlined, transparent and responsive system of regulation.

The areas covered by the consultation included:

• The registration and renewal of registration of professionals, student registers, registration appeals, protected titles and protected functions;
• How the regulators oversee the quality of pre-registration and post-registration education and training;
• How the regulators set standards for professional conduct and practice, and ensure ongoing practice standards (for example, through revalidation);
• The investigation and adjudication of fitness to practise cases;
• The role of the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence;
• The governance arrangements of the regulators, including the size and composition of Councils;
• The systems through which the regulators can be held to account, including the roles of the Privy Council (which currently approves all GOsC rules and appointments), Government and Parliament, and duties to consult the public.

For further information see our news item about the consultation at www.osteopathy.org.uk/news-and-resources/document-library/legislation/gosc-response-to-law-commission-consultation-on-healthcare