Law Commission reviews regulation of healthcare professionals

The Law Commission is undertaking a review, launched on 1 March, of the legal framework for health and social care professional regulation. This extends to the powers and duties of all the UK professional regulators including the General Osteopathic Council. This project, commissioned by the Department of Health, will lead to a new consolidated Act of Parliament covering the current nine regulators.

The Law Commission has issued a press release, and a consultation paper and summary are available on the Law Commission website at http://lawcommission.justice.gov.uk/areas/Healthcare_professions.htm 

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

The areas covered in the consultation include:

• 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.

This consultation will be open for three months from 1 March and the Law Commission is keen to hear the views of all interested parties.