Professional Standards · HCPC Guidance
HCPC Professional Standards: What HCPC Registrants Must Know
HCPC professional standards define how every registered health and care professional must behave, communicate and practise, and they are the yardstick the regulator uses when a concern is raised. The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) regulates 15 professions, including paramedics, physiotherapists, radiographers and occupational therapists, and every HCPC registrant is personally responsible for meeting the HCPC professional standards.
This guide explains the HCPC professional standards, the ten standards of conduct, performance and ethics, what they require on communication and honesty, and what happens when an HCPC registrant falls short.
Key Takeaways
- HCPC professional standards cover conduct, performance and ethics, profession-specific proficiency, continuing professional development, and education and training.
- The revised standards of conduct, performance and ethics took effect on 1 September 2024 and contain ten standards that apply to every HCPC registrant.
- HCPC registrants are personally responsible for their behaviour and must be ready to explain and defend their decisions and actions.
- The HCPC uses the HCPC professional standards to decide whether to act on a concern, and outcomes range from no action to a caution, conditions, suspension or striking off.
- Documented reflection, CPD and remediation give registrants the strongest evidence of insight if their compliance with the HCPC professional standards is ever questioned.
In short: The ten HCPC standards of conduct, performance and ethics in plain words, and how the HCPC uses them in fitness to practise cases. Facing a concern? Start here.
What are the HCPC standards?
The HCPC standards are the requirements the regulator publishes to protect the public and define safe, ethical practice for every professional on its Register. HCPC professional standards fall into four groups, compared below.
| Standard | What it covers | Who it applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Conduct, performance and ethics | Behaviour, honesty, communication, consent and risk | Every HCPC registrant |
| Proficiency | Skills and knowledge needed in a specific profession | Registrants in that profession |
| Continuing professional development | Keeping skills and knowledge up to date | Every HCPC registrant |
| Education and training | Programmes that must be completed to register | Approved programmes and providers |
The Professional Standards Authority reported 356,104 professionals on the HCPC Register at 31 March 2025, and each is expected to meet the HCPC professional standards. Employers and managers supporting several HCPC registrants can review our bulk-buy offer for group access.
What are the standards of conduct, performance, and ethics?
The standards of conduct, performance and ethics are the core of the HCPC professional standards: ten standards that set out how registrants must behave, and their revised version has applied since 1 September 2024. The HCPC's standards of conduct, performance and ethics list them as:
Promote and protect the interests of service users and carers
Communicate appropriately and effectively
Work within the limits of your knowledge and skills
Delegate appropriately
Respect confidentiality
Manage risk
Report concerns about safety
Be open when things go wrong
Be honest and trustworthy
Keep records of your work
The 2024 revisions to the HCPC professional standards gave more attention to challenging discrimination, maintaining professional boundaries with colleagues, and using social media responsibly. Registrants are personally responsible for their behaviour and must be ready to explain and defend their decisions.
HCPC Professional Standards on Communication, Boundaries and Honesty
Three areas of the HCPC professional standards shape everyday practice: communication, professional boundaries and honesty. The standards expect the following:
Communication: be polite and considerate, listen, and give information in a way service users can understand
Social media: use it responsibly, check that shared information is accurate, and protect service user privacy
Boundaries: never abuse your position to pursue personal, sexual, emotional or financial relationships
Self-reporting: tell the HCPC as soon as possible about a police caution, criminal charge or conviction, action by another regulator, or an employer restriction, suspension or dismissal linked to conduct or competence
Cooperation: co-operate with any investigation into your conduct or competence
These HCPC professional standards duties apply whether a registrant works in clinical practice, management, education or research.
What Happens If HCPC Professional Standards Are Breached?
When a concern suggests a registrant has not met the HCPC professional standards, the HCPC investigates and the Investigating Committee decides whether there is a case to answer. If there is, the case goes to a final hearing before an independent panel of the Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service. A Conduct and Competence Panel hears misconduct, competence, conviction and caution cases, while a Health Panel hears health cases. The HCPC's hearings information explains each panel.
| Outcome | What it means |
|---|---|
| Caution order | A formal sanction that does not restrict practice |
| Conditions of practice | Restrictions the registrant must show they are meeting; reviewed before expiry |
| Suspension | No work in the profession or use of the protected title; reviewed before expiry |
| Striking off | Removal from the Register; restoration can be sought after five years |
Panels can also take no further action or use mediation, and every sanction decision is published with reasons. Striking off is the most serious outcome available.
How HCPC Registrants Can Demonstrate Compliance
The most reliable way for HCPC registrants to show they meet the HCPC professional standards is to build clear, dated evidence of learning and safe practice. Registrants should:
Read the full standards of conduct, performance and ethics and relate each standard to your own role.
Keep full, clear, accurate records, completed promptly and stored securely.
Record your CPD, ask for feedback and reflect on what you change as a result.
Seek advice from your employer, professional body or union before responding to any concern.
If a concern is raised, take independent advice, meet every deadline and begin structured remediation.
Remediation cannot excuse serious misconduct, but panels weigh genuine insight into any breach of the HCPC professional standards. Many registrants use our CPD certified and accredited remediation courses to build that evidence in a structured way.
Conclusion
HCPC professional standards are the foundation of safe, ethical practice for every HCPC registrant, and the revised 2024 standards make expectations on communication, boundaries and honesty clearer than before. Understanding the ten standards, the duty to self-report, and how the HCPC and its tribunal service respond to breaches lets registrants protect service users and their own registration. Compliance is not a one-off task: it depends on accurate records, honest reflection, regular CPD and advice from your employer or professional body. If your practice is being questioned, take advice early and start building evidence today with our CPD certified and accredited courses for insight and remediation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which course should I take for an HCPC complaint or investigation?
Match the course to the allegation — Which course do I need? lists them by concern; for HCPC registrants, the HCPC ethics and HCPC professionalism courses follow the HCPC standards of conduct, performance and ethics.
Will a course help my HCPC investigation?
A course is evidence of insight and remediation, which the HCPC case examiners or Investigating Committee look for — strongest with a written reflection and changes in your practice. No course can guarantee an outcome.
When should I send the certificate and reflection to the HCPC?
With your written response, before the HCPC case examiners or Investigating Committee decide — or before an HCPC final hearing or a review if the case has gone further.
Can I finish the course before my deadline, and is it CPD accredited?
Yes — it is online and self-paced with a certificate on completion, and CPD certified and accredited by The CPD Certification Service, counting towards your HCPC CPD record.
What are the HCPC communication standards?
A: The HCPC communication standards sit in standard 2 of the HCPC professional standards. Registrants must be polite and considerate, listen to service users and carers, give information they can understand, meet language and communication needs, work respectfully with colleagues, and use social media responsibly and accurately.
What are the 5 principles of the code of conduct?
A: The HCPC does not publish five principles. Its standards of conduct, performance and ethics contain ten standards. Five of them cover promoting service users' interests, communicating effectively, working within your limits, respecting confidentiality and being honest and trustworthy, all of which are part of the HCPC professional standards.
What are ethical standards of conduct?
A: Ethical standards of conduct are the values-based expectations that guide how HCPC registrants behave. Under the HCPC professional standards they include treating service users with respect, obtaining valid consent, challenging discrimination, protecting confidentiality, being open when things go wrong, and acting with honesty and integrity.
What happens if an HCPC registrant breaches the standards?
A: The HCPC investigates, and the Investigating Committee decides whether there is a case to answer. If so, an independent tribunal panel holds a hearing and may take no action or impose a caution, conditions of practice, suspension or striking off. A breach of the HCPC professional standards does not always lead to a hearing.
Do HCPC professional standards apply to students?
A: Yes. The standards also apply to learners on an HCPC-approved programme. The HCPC publishes separate guidance on conduct and ethics for students that explains what the standards mean for them, and applicants must sign a declaration that they will keep to the standards once registered.
This guide is for general information and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For advice specific to your situation, contact a specialist regulatory solicitor or your medical defence organisation.
The CPD courses linked from this guide, Professionalism and Professional Standards for HCPC Regulated Health & Care Professionals, Ethics and Ethical Standards for HCPC Regulated Health & Care Professionals and How to Deal with a Complaint or Investigation, are by Probity & Ethics, written by Dr Shehzad Iqbal, CPD certified and accredited by The CPD Certification Service (provider no. 13197) and offered since 2020.
