HCPC registration

The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) is the UK regulator for 15 health, psychological and care professions, from paramedics and physiotherapists to practitioner psychologists and operating department practitioners. If you work in one of them, you must be on the HCPC register to use the protected title and practise. You register after finishing an HCPC-approved course or, if you trained abroad, after an international application is assessed, and then you renew every two years by confirming you still meet the HCPC’s standards, including those for continuing professional development.

The professions the HCPC regulates

Profession	Examples of protected titles
Arts therapists	Art therapist, drama therapist, music therapist
Biomedical scientists	Biomedical scientist
Chiropodists and podiatrists	Chiropodist, podiatrist
Clinical scientists	Clinical scientist
Dietitians	Dietitian, dietician
Hearing aid dispensers	Hearing aid dispenser
Occupational therapists	Occupational therapist
Operating department practitioners	Operating department practitioner
Orthoptists	Orthoptist
Paramedics	Paramedic
Physiotherapists	Physiotherapist, physical therapist
Practitioner psychologists	Clinical, counselling, educational, forensic, health, occupational and sport and exercise psychologist
Prosthetists and orthotists	Prosthetist, orthotist
Radiographers	Diagnostic radiographer, therapeutic radiographer
Speech and language therapists	Speech and language therapist, speech therapist

Using one of these titles when you are not registered is a criminal offence. Note that “psychologist” on its own is not protected; the adjectives in the table are. Social workers in England were regulated by the HCPC in the past but moved to Social Work England, and social workers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own care councils.

Registering after UK training

If you complete an HCPC-approved programme in the UK, your education provider sends the HCPC a list of students who have passed. You then apply online, upload identification, declare your health and character, and pay the registration fee. The HCPC sets the fee, and newly qualified graduates have usually received a discount in their first two years; check the HCPC website for current amounts.

Processing is quick for UK graduates if everything is in order, but the summer is the busiest time. Apply as soon as you have your results, and tell your new employer when you expect to appear on the register. Most NHS employers will not let you start as a registered band 5 practitioner until your name is on it. Band 5 in England starts at £32,073 from 1 April 2026; see NHS band 5 pay and jobs for the full band.

Registering with an overseas qualification

If you qualified outside the UK, you apply through the international route. The HCPC compares your training and experience with its standards of proficiency for your profession. You send transcripts, course details, references and evidence of your work, plus proof of English language ability at the level the HCPC requires if English is not your first language.

The assessment can take several months, and the HCPC may ask for more information or require you to complete an adaptation period or extra training before it registers you. Many employers who recruit internationally help with the application. For visas, see the Health and Care Worker visa guide, and for advice on your own immigration situation, contact an OISC-registered adviser.

Renewal every two years

Each profession renews on its own two-year cycle, so a paramedic and a physiotherapist will renew at different times. The HCPC emails you before your renewal window opens. To renew, you log into your online account, confirm that you continue to meet the standards of proficiency, the standards of conduct, performance and ethics, and the standards for CPD, and pay the fee. The fee covers the two-year cycle and can usually be paid in instalments.

If you do not renew in time, your registration lapses. You must stop practising and stop using the protected title until you are readmitted, which takes time and an application fee. Employers check the register regularly and usually remove lapsed staff from duties at once.

CPD and audit

The HCPC’s CPD standards require you to:

• keep a continuous, up-to-date record of your CPD
• make sure your CPD is a mix of activities relevant to your current or future practice
• seek to make sure your CPD contributes to the quality of your practice
• seek to make sure it benefits service users
• send a CPD profile to the HCPC if you are selected for audit

There is no set number of hours. At each renewal, a random sample of registrants in each profession is chosen for audit and asked to send a CPD profile: a summary of their work, a statement showing how they met the standards, and supporting evidence. If your profile does not show the standards are met, you are usually given more time to provide what is missing.

Keep your CPD record as you go. Continuing professional development has ideas for what counts and how to record it.

Fees and tax relief

The HCPC registration fee is on HMRC’s approved list of professional bodies, so if you pay it yourself, you can claim tax relief at your highest rate of income tax. Some employers pay the fee for their staff; you cannot claim relief on a fee your employer has paid. Tax relief on professional fees explains how to claim. Fitness to practise concerns, if you ever face them, are a separate process; your union or professional body can advise and represent you.