HCPC Registration Information Sheet

Fees: £495
Registration cycle
Your registration cycle is biennial (two-yearly) and is made up of two ‘professional
years’. We will advise you of the registration fee when your application has been
processed and approved. The table below shows the professional years for each
profession we regulate.
Physiotherapists 1 May – 30 April
Methods of payment
You can choose to pay your scrutiny fee by cheque, money order, bankers draft or
by credit/debit card. Payments must be made in UK Sterling and drawn on a bank
based in the United Kingdom (UK). Your payment should be crossed and made
payable to ‘Health and Care Professions Council’. Please write your full name on
the reverse side of your payment and ensure that it is not post-dated. You should
allow at least five working days for your payment to reach us (ten if sending from
outside the UK).
Your application will be assessed against the Standards of proficiency for your
chosen profession.
Waiting times
Currently we will send you a letter confirming receipt of your application and
payment. If your application and payment are accepted for processing, we will
undertake the initial processing of your application within four weeks (this
includes background checks). The next stage is the assessment of your
education, training and experience. We will make direct contact with your education
provider and competent authority and there is no need for you to ask them to send
us information in advance of your application. We will contact you in writing as soon
as our assessors have considered your application. The whole process can take
approximately 60 working days from receipt of your complete application.
Qualifications
Each profession at the HCPC has its own specific criteria for assessment, which are
set out in the profession specific elements of the standards of proficiency. The
overarching framework applies to all professions and an applicant must
satisfy the Registration Assessor in their application how they meet the
benchmark Standards of proficiency. This can be demonstrated through a
combination of education, training and experience gained in practise of the
profession for which they are seeking registration.
Applicants are strongly advised to give as much detail in their application as possible
and get their university/college to complete the course information form.
HCPC does not comment on the ability of an applicant to practice in their
country of training, however, some courses are broader with less in-depth
coverage, and others are more detailed but have a narrower scope. Significant
experience may make up for shortfalls in training.
HCPC assessors make their determinations based on all of the information that you
provide. Please remember to provide as much relevant detail as possible.
English proficiency
The ability to communicate effectively in English is critical to working effectively as a
health professional in the UK. Consequently, we can ask you for information about
your ability to use English.
Applicants whose first language is not English and who are required to
provide a language test certificate as evidence of their proficiency must
ensure that it is, or is comparable to, IELTS level 7.0 with no element below 6.5
(or IELTS level 8.0 with no element below 7.5 for Speech and language
therapists). If you propose to rely upon a non-IELTS test score that is not listed
below, it will be your responsibility to provide evidence that it is comparable to the
requisite IELTS levels. Failure to do so will delay the processing of your
application.

Translations

If you submit documents that are not in English, you must also provide us with
certified English translations. If you are applying from abroad, the British Embassy,
Consulate or High Commission may be able to help you find a translator. In the UK,
your own Embassy, Consulate or High Commission may be able to help.

Verifying your identity and qualifications

All applicants applying for registration via the international route will be subject to
verification of their identity, qualifications and employment.

This may involve us contacting regulatory authorities, professional bodies, education

providers and past employers in order for them to verify the information you have
provided as part of your application. We may also ask an outside agency to conduct
these checks on our behalf.

We will endeavour to complete an initial assessment of your application within 16

weeks of receipt. However, if further checks are needed or we do not receive the
information we require, this may take longer. We will contact you if we require any
additional information from you.

Please note that we cannot guarantee the outcome of an application and applicants
are advised not to make travel or other arrangements which depend upon you being
registered by the HCPC (eg starting a job). Applicants who make travel, work or
other arrangements before knowing the outcome of their application do so at their
own risk.

Contact details:

Tel: 44 (0) 300 500 4472

Fax: 44 (0) 20 7840 9801
Email: [email protected]

If you are contacting us from outside the UK and are unable to use our main
switchboard number, you can call us on 44 (0)20 7582 5460.
 Assessing your application

Step one

Receipt in the office - Application received by HCPC

The basic details of the application are entered on to our registration system and an
application reference number is generated. If your application is accepted for
processing we will take the scrutiny payment at this stage and send you a letter to
the correspondence address provided in the application. The letter also includes the
application reference number. This is important for you and HCPC to track the
application through the process of assessment, feedback and final registration
decision.

If your application is not accepted for processing, we will return it to you without
taking the scrutiny payment. The application is withdrawn and you will need to
resubmit a complete application.

Step two

Initial processing – within four weeks from receipt.

During this period we will contact your education provider, any relevant regulatory or
professional bodies and any professional referees. This is to verify the information
that you have provided. We will not wait to hear from these contacts before sending
your application to the next stage. You do not need to do anything until we have
notified you of the outcome of the next stage of the process.

Step three

Assessment of qualification – within 60 working days from receipt.

The next stage is the assessment of your education, training and experience. This
stage takes approximately 60 working days. Your application will be sent to two
assessors from the part of the Register to which you are applying. They will consider
all of the information that you have submitted before making their recommendation -
initially comparing the level and the content of the training course with reference to
the Standards of Proficiency. If they identify shortfalls they look to see if these have
been made up through post qualification training and post qualification experience.

This recommendation will be then reviewed by the Education and Training

Committee (ETC) who will send their decision to you.

Sometimes documentation can be contradictory or inconsistent. The assessors then

may ask for further verification or a more detailed explanation.

Recommendations from the assessors

Registration assessors are aware their recommendations influence the possible
career paths of applicants, and they aim to provide specific feedback concerning
each applicant.

Assessors can only base their recommendations on the information provided by the
applicant, their referee, their training institutions, and any education, training, or
experience provided in the original application. They cannot contact your referees,
training institutions, previous employers directly.

There are several possible outcomes to the application assessment process:

• Acceptance for admission to the Register

• Refusal of the admission to the Register
• Request for further information or invitation to attend a Test of Competence (TOC)
based on the professions’ Standards of Proficiency.

Application outcomes
Further information request
If we cannot reach a decision based on the information in your application, we may ask
you to provide further information. If we do so, we will write to you explaining what
information is required and the date by which you must provide it. We do this only in
justified cases and it is in your interest to provide all relevant information when you first
submit your application.

Test of competence
If after reviewing your application and any further information submitted there are still
standards outstanding, depending on the number of standards, we may invite you to
undertake a test of competence. The format of the test will be communicated to you
and we will contact you with a date and time to take the test. This will be a pass or fail.
The test will normally be carried at the HCPCs offices in Kennington, London.

Successful applications
If we are satisfied that your education, training and experience meet the UK standards of
proficiency and that you meet the other requirements for registration, we will contact you
to complete the registration process by paying the registration fee.

Unsuccessful applications
If we decide that, after assessment and any other test that we may require you take, you
are not able to meet the standards of proficiency, we will refuse admission to the
Register. You will be able to appeal against this decision.

Following acceptance for admission to the Register, a registration fee of £90 per
year is payable. The amount covers a profession's two year registration cycle.
 Adaptation periods and aptitude tests
This section provides information about compensation measures, adaption periods
and aptitude tests.

Compensation measures – adaptation periods and aptitude tests

Applicants who do not meet the standard for entry to the HCPC Register are only
entitled to a period of adaptation or aptitude test if:

they are a national of a relevant European state or have acquired rights (for
example, through marriage to such a national); and

they are entitled to practise one of the professions that we regulate in another
relevant European state.

A ‘relevant European state’ means Switzerland or any of the member states of the
European Economic Area (EEA).

Why is an adaptation period (period of adaptation or a ‘POA’) required?

If, having looked at your education, training and experience, we feel that there are
significant areas of your skills, knowledge and experience in which you do not meet
our standards, we may ask you to undertake a period of adaptation.

What is a POA?

A period of adaptation is a period of supervised practice and / or academic training

intended to make up for significant shortfalls which have been identified in an
application. These are in the areas where, in the opinion of the assessors, our
standards of proficiency have not been met.

Who should supervise a POA?

A period of adaptation is supervised by a registrant from the relevant profession. On

completion, we ask the supervisor to tell us whether the adaptation was completed
successfully and whether they would recommend the applicant for registration.

Are there alternatives to completing a POA?

If you disagree with the requirement of completing an adaptation, you may request
an aptitude test in place of it. Aptitude test is a test of your current knowledge
relating to the shortfalls identified in your Record of assessment. It may take different
forms, depending on your individual circumstance-the test is always described in the
Record of assessment. If you choose to take a test, please inform us and we will
make the necessary arrangements. If you wish to take the test, you need to tell us
within up to three months from the decision imposing adaptation period.
Tests are free of charge and normally take place in our office in London.

You may also appeal the POA decision, but you must do so within 28 days from the
date of the decision letter. You can find put more about the appeals here.

What can I expect when I attend the aptitude test or test of competence?

On the day of the test you will need to report to our main reception at 184
Kennington Park Road where you will be given a name badge. Reception will inform
the registration advisor who is facilitating the test that you have arrived and they will
come to meet you. Your photo identification will be checked and you will then be
taken to join the assessors in the test room.

The test is usually conducted by two registration assessors who will be familiar with
your application. They will explain the format of the test to you and will take notes
throughout. Once it is finished, the registration advisor or one of the assessors will
show you back to reception.

The estimated length of the test is provided in your record of assessment. It will
typically take between one to three hours but could take longer, depending on your
individual circumstance.

We will notify you in writing about the outcome within few weeks. If you have any
questions about the international or European Mutual Recognition application
process, you can contact the registration advisor who facilitated your test.

How are POAs organised and monitored?

You will need to arrange the POA by yourself. Once you chose a place and a
supervisor, you need to complete the 'Adaptation Period: Request to approve
provider' form. This form is sent along with the POA decision, but you may also
download it here.

Once we receive your request, we will check whether the proposed adaptation meets
the requirements set out by us for adaptation periods and also addresses the
shortfalls listed in your Record of Assessment. Once we notified you that the
proposed plan is approved, you may begin your adaptation.

At the end of your placement/training, you need to provide 'Adaptation Period:

Certificate of Completion'. We will send this form to you once your plan is
approved, and you may also download it here. You may send additional
documentation if you wish to.

Please note that we will only accept Certificate of Completion from the originally
approved provider. If you wish to change your provider after starting your POA, you
need to get in touch with us and prepare another 'Adaptation Period: Request to
approve provider'. Providers not accepted by us prior to commencement of your
POA will not be accepted.
The Certificate of Completion will need to be approved by us before you are invited
to join the Register. We will notify you in writing once your certificate is approved.

Can HCPC assist with arranging an adaptation period?

HCPC can not assist applicants in arranging for adaptation. You may however find it
helpful to contact the relevant professional body in the UK. Some of them provide
support and networking opportunities for overseas-qualified professionals. You can
find their contact details by going to the professions section of our website and
choosing your profession.