HCPC issue revised education standards to include service users and carers

The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) has today published revised standards of education and training (SETs) to reflect the new requirement that service users and carers are involved in programmes approved by the regulator.

The SETs are the standards that an education and training programme must meet before it can be approved. Most HCPC-approved programmes already involve service users and carers in some way and research into existing involvement found a number of benefits to both service users and carers, and students. The new standard now makes this involvement a formal requirement.

Michael Guthrie, Director of Policy and Standards, commented: “The new standard sends out a strong message that service user and carer involvement has an important contribution to make to public protection.

“This involvement will help to ensure that programmes are up to date with the expectations and experiences of service users and carers. It will also make sure that students benefit from a wide range of different perspectives.”

The HCPC are working closely with education providers to implement the new standard.

The revised standards of education and training and supporting guidance are available at: www.hcpc-uk.org/education/downloads