Regulation of Health and Social Care Professionals Consultation

(1) additional ways of limiting recognition of courses, programmes and
institutions such as the issuing of formal warnings or conditions for
approval;
(2) the use of special measure for struggling institutions;
(3) establishing schemes to recognise excellence in professional education;
(4) the payment of visitors; and
(5) charging fees for performing any aspect of their education function.
6.45 As noted above, much of the regulatory activity in relation to education involves
inspecting institutions and approving courses and programmes. This can be seen
as a proxy for the real concern which is ensuring that the student or professional
is fit to practise. An alternative approach would be to focus more on the
individuals emerging from training and for the regulators to take steps to assure
themselves that the newly qualified professionals possess the qualities that are
necessary to practise. This could involve for example a national assessment of
students or auditing data which highlights individual progression. We welcome
views on whether the powers of the regulators should extend to such matters.
6.46 In most cases, the law does not give the regulators a role in selecting those
entering pre-registration or post qualification specialist training. It has been
argued that such a role would usurp and duplicate unnecessarily that of
education institutions. 34 However, in relation to post graduate specialist training
where selection is increasingly based on assessment techniques, there may be a
role for regulatory oversight. 35 Our provisional view is that the regulators should
not be given powers over the selection of those entering education, due to the
dangers of unnecessary duplication of function, but we would welcome further
views on whether this would be a useful power.
6.47 As noted earlier in this Part, education may increasingly cross occupational
boundaries, especially with certain health practitioners taking on areas in
diagnosis and prescribing. The Royal Infirmary Inquiry (see Part 1) stated that the
benefits of educating students such as doctors and nurses together should be
explored “with vigour” and urged that there should be a first year which is
“common to all” despite the acknowledged differences in educational
qualifications. 36 Our proposals set out above would allow the regulators to
undertake joint education courses/programmes and in Part 12 we discuss the
ways in which the statute would allow the regulators to work jointly on such
matters. However, we would welcome any views on whether our proposals could
go further in providing a framework for the approval of multi-disciplinary education
and training.
34 General Medical Council, Final Report of the Educational and Training Regulation Policy
Review: Recommendations and Options for the Future Regulation of Education and
Training (2010), para 57.
35 As above, para 93.
36 Learning from Bristol: the report of the public inquiry into children's heart surgery at the
Bristol Royal Infirmary 1984 -1995 (2001) Cm 5207, p 329.
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