HEALTH & CARE PROFESSIONS COUNCIL
In Unit 1 you studied the BPS' Ethical Guidelines for psychological research. In Unit 2, the focus is on practitioner psychologists - psychologists who are doing a job. In the UK, practitioner psychologists are overseen by the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC).
In the exam, give the Health & Care Profession Council its full name the first time you mention it, then call it HCPC after that.
A psychologist needs to be registered with the HCPC in order to get a job and needs to re-register every 2 years. Someone in bad standing with the HCPC (perhaps because they didn't meet its standards) will struggle to find employment as a practitioner psychologist. It is a criminal offence to claim to be HCPC registered if you are not.
The HCPC standards consist of guidelines for all practitioner psychologists, then specific guidelines for different types of practitioners: clinical psychologists (with extra guidelines for counselors), educational psychologists, forensic psychologists, health psychologists, occupational psychologists and sport psychologists.
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THE HCPC STANDARDS (2015)
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These standards set out safe and effective practice in the professions we regulate. They are the threshold standards we consider necessary to protect members of the public - HCPC You don't need to know all 15 - just pick a few to learn. I recommend:
It's interesting that actually knowing anything about psychology doesn't turn up until #13 |
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Other standards practitioner psychologists must follow include:
- Character: To join the HCPC, trustworthy character references need to be obtained from people who have known you for at least three years. This will also consider criminal convictions or cautions.
- Health: Regular updates on general health must be sent to the HCPC (this will happen every 2 years when you re-register). If you have any conditions that will impact on your clients, you must stop work immediately.
- Standards of ethics: There are 10 ethical guidelines that practitioners must conform to, including: maintaining confidentiality of clients and only acting within the limits of your own knowledge and skills (competence) and referring on to others when necessary (collegiality).
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGISTS
A clinical psychologist will assess the behaviour and needs of their client using a variety of methods. Clinical psychologists work as part of a multidisciplinary team alongside doctors, nurses, social workers, teachers, psychiatrists and therapists. They devise and monitor treatment programmes, as well as applied research.
There are HCPC Standards that apply specifically to clinical psychologists:
There are HCPC Standards that apply specifically to clinical psychologists:
- Standards for education and training: For clinical psychologists, the minimum qualification required is a Master’s degree with BPS qualification and a doctorate.
- Standards for prescribing: There are standards for prescribing medication. This includes the knowledge and training to be able to prescribe appropriately and safely.
- Standards for counselors: Therapists offering counseling must understand the importance of empathy and imagination as well as the philosophy behind psychological therapies
APPLYING HCPC STANDARDS
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EVALUATING HCPC STANDARDS
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Objections
No one objects to the existence of standards or the expectation that people who work in healthcare should meet high standards. The question is whether the HCPC's Standards are appropriate.
No one objects to the existence of standards or the expectation that people who work in healthcare should meet high standards. The question is whether the HCPC's Standards are appropriate.
- SPECIFIC: Just where do "legal and ethical boundaries" lie when it comes to clinical psychology? The psychologist struck off for forming a close friendship with an under-age client argued she was trying to offer help to a young person in a desperate situation. The HCPC disagreed, but the boundary wasn't clear at the time.
- MEASURABLE: The psychologist who took ecstasy in the company of her young clients was not engaging in "safe practice" but no actual harm was done to them. She was suspended rather than struck off. Should she have faced a worse or a lesser punishment?
- ATTAINABLE: The accusation that the HCPC acts like a "moral police force" would mean that its Standards are unattainable for ordinary people with difficult private lives - or not enough money to fund expensive appeals.
- RELEVANT: Are all the Standards equally relevant? The psychologist struck off for bad record-keeping doesn't seem to have done something as awful as the one who diverted staff time and funds into his private business.
- TIME-BASED: Is 2 years often enough for re-registration? Or too often? The HCPC takes a fee when you re-register, so is this just money-making? Or perhaps, given the pace of change in healthcare, practitioners should re-register every year.
Applications
The AO2 section (above) describes a number of cases of the HCPC investigating breaches of its Standards and suspending or striking off members.
On the one hand, it's important that a body like the HCPC should have "teeth" so that vulnerable people (especially children and people with mental disorders) aren't abused, exploited or carelessly treated by their therapists and clinicians.
There are "grey areas" in practitioner-client relationships. Should your client also be your friend? How should you behave if you meet your clients when socialising? How far are you supposed to go to "rescue" a client in a difficult situation?
By setting out Standards and enforcing them, the HCPC provides guidelines for all its other members about where the boundaries are.
On the other hand, if the HCPC goes to far and becomes a "moral police force", it starts to infringe on its members' right to a private life. If it becomes meddlesome and intrusive, it adds to the stress of healthwork. If it suspends or strikes off members for petty reasons, it is robbing the health sector of skilled psychologists whose work could help a lot of people.
The AO2 section (above) describes a number of cases of the HCPC investigating breaches of its Standards and suspending or striking off members.
On the one hand, it's important that a body like the HCPC should have "teeth" so that vulnerable people (especially children and people with mental disorders) aren't abused, exploited or carelessly treated by their therapists and clinicians.
There are "grey areas" in practitioner-client relationships. Should your client also be your friend? How should you behave if you meet your clients when socialising? How far are you supposed to go to "rescue" a client in a difficult situation?
By setting out Standards and enforcing them, the HCPC provides guidelines for all its other members about where the boundaries are.
On the other hand, if the HCPC goes to far and becomes a "moral police force", it starts to infringe on its members' right to a private life. If it becomes meddlesome and intrusive, it adds to the stress of healthwork. If it suspends or strikes off members for petty reasons, it is robbing the health sector of skilled psychologists whose work could help a lot of people.
EXEMPLAR ESSAY
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