Website of the Department of Health

Healthcare professional regulation: Public consultation on proposals for change - electronic response form

This consultation paper seeks views on the proposals put forward by the Chief Medical Officer in Good doctors, safer patients, and upon the options outlined in the parallel review of non-medical regulation.

There are a number of common themes running through the two reports, including:

1. Changes to the governance and accountability of regulators

2. The importance of defined operationalised standards against which to regulate

3. The appropriate standard of proof

4. Proposals for a ‘spectrum of revalidation’ across all clinical professions

5. Devolution of some regulatory activity to a local level

6. The number of regulators for the non-medical professions

7. The requirement to record post-registration qualifications

8. The role of regulation for student health professionals

9. The need for standardised pre-employment English language testing

10. Extending the scope of regulation to include support workers and new roles in healthcare

11. The importance, or otherwise, of a lay majority on the governing bodies of the various regulators

Consultation:

Stakeholders are asked to address the following three overarching questions:

1. Do stakeholders support the principles upon which Good doctors, safer patients is based?

2. Do stakeholders support the approach advocated in the two reports?

3.What are the priorities for stakeholders in terms of implementation?

In addition, stakeholders are asked to consider the eleven themes identified above.

Stakeholders are invited to respond to these three questions and to address the eleven themes described above or to comment within each theme on the merits of specific recommendations made by the Chief Medical Officer in Good doctors, safer patients, or in the parallel review of non-medical regulation.