Dr Richard Dune

30-06-2025

Image by seventyfourimages via Envato Elements

Safeguarding standards: How the UK’s statutory regulators oversee conduct, competence, and compliance in the health and social care workforce

Health and social care professionals are the backbone of quality care in the UK. Whether in hospitals, care homes, clinics, schools, or community services, they are entrusted with people’s lives, dignity, and safety. But this trust isn’t automatic; it’s earned and maintained through rigorous professional regulation overseen by dedicated UK regulators.

From the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to Social Work England (SWE) and the General Medical Council (GMC), each body plays a crucial role in setting standards, registering practitioners, managing revalidation, and investigating misconduct.

In this blog, Dr Richard Dune outlines the key statutory regulators, their responsibilities, and what employers and care providers must do to remain compliant and accountable in 2025 and beyond.

Why do professional regulators matter?

Professional regulators exist to:

• Protect the public by ensuring high-quality care and safe practice
• Register only qualified and competent individuals
• Set professional codes of conduct and ethics
• Oversee training, education, and revalidation
• Investigate Fitness-to-Practise (FtP) concerns and take appropriate action.

Regulators act as gatekeepers; without current registration, an individual cannot legally practise in a regulated role.

For providers, employing an unregistered or suspended practitioner can lead to serious legal and regulatory consequences, including enforcement by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), Ofsted, or the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), where health and safety are compromised.

Who are the UK’s main health and social care professional regulators?

There are currently 13 health and social care professional regulators in the UK, each with a statutory role to protect the public. They work under the oversight of the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA).

Health regulators

1. Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)

• Regulates - Nurses, midwives, and nursing associates (England only)
• Maintains a register of over 750,000 professionals
• Oversees revalidation every 3 years
• Enforces the NMC Code (2018) - Prioritise people, practise effectively, preserve safety, promote professionalism.

2. General Medical Council (GMC)

• Regulates - All practising doctors in the UK
• Approves medical schools and postgraduate training
• Manages revalidation every 5 years through the Responsible Officers
• Publishes the Good Medical Practice standards.

3. General Dental Council (GDC)

• Regulates - Dentists, dental nurses, hygienists, orthodontic therapists, and dental technicians
• Requires Enhanced CPD
• Conducts fitness to practise investigations
• Approves training programmes and enforces clinical standards.

4. Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)

• Regulates - 15 professions, including paramedics, physiotherapists, radiographers, and practitioner psychologists
• Conducts random CPD audits
• Sets profession-specific standards and education requirements
• Maintains a searchable public register.

5. General Optical Council (GOC)

• Regulates - Optometrists, dispensing opticians, optical businesses
• Sets standards for vision care and training
• Oversees education and CPD.

6. General Osteopathic Council (GOsC)

• Regulates - Osteopaths
• Requires annual CPD
• Maintains professional standards in musculoskeletal care.

7. General Chiropractic Council (GCC)

• Regulates - Chiropractors
• Requires revalidation, CPD, and adherence to a code of practice
• Investigate public and peer complaints.

8. General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)

• Regulates - Pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacy premises in Great Britain
• Sets standards for education, CPD, and safe practice
• Collaborates with the MHRA on medicine safety.

9. Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI)

• Regulates - Pharmacists in Northern Ireland
• Similar to the GPhC, but operates under different governance.

Social care regulators

1. Social Work England (SWE)

• Regulates - Social workers in England
• Introduced digital registration and CPD systems
• Investigate concerns affecting vulnerable children and adults.

2. Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC)

• Regulates - Social workers and social care workers in Northern Ireland
• Emphasises values-based practice and community safety.

3. Social Care Wales (SCW)

• Regulates - Social workers, residential child care workers, adult care workers, and managers
• Encourages bilingual professional practice
• Offers a range of workforce development tools.

4. Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC)

• Regulates - Social workers, early years staff, and adult social care workers in Scotland
• Publishes Codes of Practice
• Has the power to impose registration conditions or remove individuals.

Core regulatory functions explained

Registration and licensing

Professionals must meet qualification, conduct, and health requirements to be added to the register. Employers must:

• Check the registration status at recruitment
• Monitor for suspensions, restrictions, or warnings
• Maintain an internal record of each staff member’s regulatory status.

Revalidation and CPD

Revalidation is the process that confirms whether a professional remains fit to practise. It includes:

• Evidence of ongoing learning and reflection
• Feedback from service users and colleagues
• Confirmation of practice hours and training activity.

Examples of revalidation timelines:

Table 1 - Revalidation timelines for Revalidation and CPD.

Fitness to practise

If a concern is raised, whether by a colleague, employer, or member of the public, regulators assess whether the practitioner is safe and competent to continue working.

Grounds for action include:

• Professional misconduct
• Criminal convictions
• Substance misuse
• Health concerns affecting capacity
• Dishonesty or breach of professional boundaries.

Regulatory outcomes can include:

• No action or advice
• Conditions of practice
• Suspension
• Removal from the register.

Employers’ responsibilities

Regulation is a shared responsibility. Employers must not only ensure that staff are registered and competent but also create conditions that allow them to remain compliant and safe.

Pre-employment checks

• Confirm registration, PIN, or licence
• Review training records, references, and conduct checks
• Ensure no restrictions on practice exist.

Ongoing monitoring

• Track revalidation dates and support CPD
• Conduct regular supervision and reflective sessions
• Provide structured induction and mentorship for new or returning staff.

Reporting concerns

• Notify the appropriate regulator when fitness to practise is in doubt
• Cooperate fully with investigations
• Suspend or redeploy staff if there’s an immediate safety risk.

Providers that fail to report concerns may face sanctions from the CQC, Ofsted, or local safeguarding partnerships.

Professionalism, culture, and the “Well-Led” framework

Professional regulation isn’t just about compliance; it’s a culture. The CQC’s “Well-Led” key question under the Single Assessment Framework (SAF) places a clear emphasis on:

• How providers support professional registration and development
• Whether staff feel safe to raise concerns
• How poor performance or misconduct is addressed
• The leadership’s commitment to a culture of learning and improvement.

Best practice includes:

• Clear supervision structures
• Annual appraisals linked to regulatory competencies
• Team reflection sessions
• Encouraging open discussions about clinical and ethical dilemmas.

PSA-Accredited voluntary registers

Not all health and care roles are statutorily regulated. However, the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) accredits voluntary registers that uphold strong professional values.

These include:

• Counsellors and psychotherapists (e.g. BACP, UKCP)
• Health coaches and wellbeing practitioners
• Play therapists and art therapists
• Care navigators and care coordinators
• Complementary therapists (e.g. reflexologists, acupuncturists).

While registration with these bodies is not a legal requirement, it demonstrates a commitment to professional development and public accountability.

2025 Regulatory Priorities

Across the UK's 13 professional regulators, common themes shaping 2025 include:

Workforce modernisation

• Reviewing scopes of practice for extended roles (e.g. advanced practitioners, physician associates)
• Streamlining registration processes for international recruits
• Supporting staff retention through flexible revalidation models.

Tackling inequality and discrimination

• Addressing racial disparities in FtP outcomes
• Promoting inclusive standards for LGBTQ+ and disabled professionals
• Reducing bias in education, supervision, and appraisal.

Improving transparency and learning

• Encouraging open learning cultures where professionals are not afraid to report mistakes
• Enhancing public understanding of what regulators do
• Publishing clearer outcomes and FtP decisions.

Embracing digital regulation

• Expanding e-portfolios for CPD and revalidation
• Using AI and data analytics to improve risk assessment
• Supporting digital-first services with tailored regulatory advice.

Final thoughts

Professional regulators are pillars of public protection and quality assurance. Their role goes far beyond compliance; they shape how professionals are trained, how they practise, and how the public is kept safe.

For providers, maintaining alignment with regulatory standards isn’t optional; it’s essential. It affects your ratings, recruitment, reputation, and risk profile.

For professionals, these bodies represent both a license to practise and a framework for lifelong learning. In a complex and evolving sector, regulation is not a barrier; it’s a bridge to safer, more accountable care.

Support professional compliance with ComplyPlus™

ComplyPlus™ - Meet NMC, GMC, HCPC, and GDC Standards with Confidence.

ComplyPlus™ by The Mandatory Training Group is your all-in-one compliance and governance platform, built specifically for health and social care providers.

With ComplyPlus™, you can:

• Monitor registration, revalidation, and CPD across your workforce
• Download editable policies that reflect NMC, GMC, HCPC, and GDC standards
• Access accredited e-learning and reflective practice tools
• Receive automated alerts for renewals, audits, and supervision gaps
• Generate audit-ready reports for CQC, Ofsted, or PSA reviews

Explore ComplyPlus™ today and empower your team to meet professional standards, with confidence, clarity, and care.