Regulation of Health and Social Care Professionals Consultation

eing met by the local education providers and the medical schools and local
education providers ensure that students and trainees receive education and
training which meet the required standards. 1
6.6 For some of the professions, such as nurses and midwifes, funding for education
comes primarily through the NHS, and the Government therefore exerts a strong
influence over its content. Currently in England, Strategic Health Authorities
determine where to invest the £5 billion central budget for education and training
and monitor value for money of the contracts they award to education providers.
The Department of Health has proposed the introduction of Local Education and
Training Boards which will take on many of the responsibilities currently
undertaken by the Strategic Health Authorities and the creation of a new body,
Health Education England, to support the networks nationally. 2 In Wales, the
National Leadership and Innovation Agency for Healthcare is responsible for
annual contract reviews with education providers. In Scotland, NHS Education for
Scotland has recently taken on the role of contract monitoring on behalf of the
Scottish Government Health Directorates. In Northern Ireland, a similar role is
performed by a number of agencies including the Northern Ireland Medical and
Dental Training Agency.
6.7 There is also a good deal of overlap between the conduct and practice standards
set by the regulators, and Government standards placed on health and social
care services and monitored by bodies such as the Care Quality Commission in
England, the Care Inspectorate in Scotland, Healthcare Inspectorate Wales and
the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority in Northern Ireland. For
professionals practising in the NHS, clinical governance arrangements are also
important in regulating the conduct of individual clinicians. Clinical governance
is the system through which NHS organisations are held accountable for the
quality of their services and for example includes National Service Frameworks,
national clinical audits and in England and Wales, guidelines issued by the
National Institute of Clinical Excellence. 3 Each of the devolved countries
produces its own clinical guidance, setting out priorities and allocating funds from
the overall budget allocation.
6.8 Professional bodies, such as the Royal Colleges, or trade unions may also
publish standards for conduct for members. 4 International bodies, such as the
International Confederation of Midwives and the International Federation of
Social Workers, also publish competencies for professionals. 5
6.9 An example of the overlap between the conduct and practice standards set by
the regulators and other professional and legal responsibilities can be seen in the
duty of candour (a requirement on professionals to be open and honest with
patients when things go wrong). Both the General Medical Council and Nursing
1 General Medical Council, GMC Education Strategy 2011-2013 (2010).
2 Department of Health, Liberating the NHS: Developing the Healthcare Workforce (2011).
3 Department of Health, A First Class Service: Quality in the New NHS (1998) p 33.
4 For example, British Association of Social Workers, Code of Ethics in Social Work (2002).
5 For example, International Confederation of Midwives, Competencies (2006) and
International Federation of Social Workers and International Association of Schools of
Social Work, Ethics in Social Work – Statement of Principles (2004).
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