GSCC Welcomes Healthcare Professional Regulation Reviews

The General Social Care Council (GSCC) has welcomed the announcement by the Department of Health (DH) of a public consultation on proposals for change to healthcare professional regulation. The consultation follows the publication of Good doctors, safer patients a review by the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, following the Shipman Inquiry and The regulation of the non-medical healthcare professions, a review by the DH’s former Director General of Workforce, Andrew Foster.

Rodney Brooke, GSCC Chair said: “The GSCC continues to work with the Government to improve standards in social care. The interests of service users and public protection are central to our work and services users have a strong voice in the development of our regulatory policy.

“The GSCC will watch with interest the direction of reform in relation to workforce regulation in the health sector. We already have a lay-led Council with a strong emphasis on user involvement. We work closely with the relevant sector skills councils in relation to the training of the vast majority of our potential registrants. The need to extend the scope of regulation to include other health care workers emerges as an important theme in the consultation. At the same time, the GSCC is considering how to extend the benefits of registration to the broader social care workforce.

“We are already working closely with other regulators in all relevant sectors, in healthcare and beyond. Working together is an essential step in the delivery of a comprehensive regulatory regime for all professional groups and the public has the right to expect high standards of competence, conduct and care.”