Registration does not guarantee suitability

Regulation of clinical scientists, biomedical scientists and others does imply competence to a certain level, but does not mean an individual can do a particular job.

Most employers are, by now, aware of the requirement for clinical scientists and biomedical scientists to be registered with the Health Professions Council (HPC). Other groups are lining up to become registered.

Currently applicants from the UK obtain entry to the HPC register by undergoing approved training or obtaining a certificate of competence recognised by HPC. However for applicants from overseas countries the whole process of getting on the register is handled by HPC itself and does not involve UK higher education institutions or professional assessment bodies.

It is sometimes not appreciated that the level of competence required for entry to the register is based on ensuring that the registrant is unlikely to harm a patient, namely that he/she is aware of the limits of their capability. Being on the HPC register is not in itself a guarantee that the applicant for a post is proficient in all the skills required. It is for the employing authority to ensure that this is the case.

A particularly important area of attention for applicants who are non-native English speakers is their ability to understand and be understood in professional communications.  European Union legislation specifies that the HPC are not allowed to test the English language proficiency of applicants from the European Economic Area (European Union states plus some others). They could only do so if  they also tested native English speakers, something which currently does not happen.  For those applying to join the register from outside the European Union, the HPC make use of English proficiency tests, such as IELTS which is administered by the British Council. This underlines that there is a particular need for employers to ensure that candidates for a post have sufficient communication skills to perform the duties effectively.

The Federation for Healthcare Science would like to see the inclusion of a language test as part of the process of registration.  Such tests should be suitable for the profession under which an individual is seeking registration.

An implication of the constraints of registration is that professionals engaged in recruitment should carry out an assessment of all the relevant skills and competencies of an individual for a particular post.

The  Federation for Healthcare Science supports the use of practicing healthcare scientists as both advisors and assessors at all recruitment interviews and urges the Department of Health to set up formal arrangements to ensure the quality and consistency of suitable assessors.

July 2006

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