Role of the Health Professions Council and changes to quangos

The Health Professions Council regulates 15 health workforces and was set up in 2001.

Among the professions it regulates are arts therapists, biomedical scientists, chiropodists and podiatrists, clinical scientists, dieticians, hearing aid dispensers, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, practitioner psychologists, radiographers, and speech and language therapists.

Its main purpose is to “safeguard the health and well-being of persons using or needing the services of registrants”.

The council’s role is to set registration standards, approve education and training programmes, maintain a register of people who successfully complete such programmes and take action if standards are not met.

It has the statutory power to make recommendations to the health secretary on the regulation of new groups.

As part of the review, there will be changes to many quangos, with ones in the care sector particularly affected. These include:

National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse

● Responsible for improving the accessibility and effectiveness of drug treatment and helping people become drug free.

● Abolished and functions transferred to new Public Health Service by April 2012.

Care Quality Commission

● Responsible for regulating health and social care services.

● Will lose responsibility for asses-sing NHS commissioning but social care role likely to remain the same.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

● Provides guidance on public health and clinical practice in healthcare.

● Remit extended to social care, taking functions from the Social Care Institute for Excellence.

Monitor

● Assesses NHS foundation trusts.

● Will become economic regulator for health and adult social care with responsibility for ensuring best use of resources.

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