If you have previously been registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) but have been off of the register for two or more years or you did not register within five years of gaining your qualification, you can now complete a period of skills and knowledge updates which will allow you to re-register.
The Return to Allied Health Professions programme supports returnees who will undertake supervised practice in one or more of the following areas: NHS, social care, councils, charities, voluntary, and non-profit making independent sector organisations. You are able to use evidence of formal study and private study as part of your application to return.
If you are still registered with the HPCP but have been out of your career for less than 2 years, you do not need to undertake further study or training but can apply for relevant roles straight away.
Eligibility Criteria
Currently, there is HCPC support and funding for those who meet the following criteria:
- Former HCPC registrants who live in England and plan to return to work in England once returned to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) register.
- Those who have gained a UK HCPC approved programme qualification more than 5 years ago and have never been registered and never practised.
- Registrants who remained on the HCPC register for more than two years but have not practised and consider themselves to be out of practice.
The HCPC Return to Practice programme IS NOT available to:
- Returnees looking to work outside England when they have returned to the register.
- The programme is unable to support Biomedical Scientists looking to undertake a period of updating to meet their portfolio of evidence of activity in the workplace.
- The programme is unable to support training posts.
- If you have completed professional training and practised outside the UK and haven’t been registered with the HCPC before then, please see the information here.
Requirements for updating skills
HCPC recommends these minimum requirements to update your skills:
- 0 to 2 years out of your profession – no requirements
- 2 to 5 years out of your profession – 30 days of updating your skills and knowledge
- 5 years or over out of your profession – 60 days of updating your skills and knowledge.
Your professional body may also have Return to Practice specific resources they can share with you.
Find out more
For further details about the Return to Practice for allied health professionals, visit the Health Education England website.