The Care Quality Commission | Disclosure & Barring Service | National Police Chief's Council | NHS Safeguarding and the Independent Ambulance Association recognise the Health Practice Associates Council register in supporting the safe recruitment of urgent and emergency clinical responders whose grades are not governed by statute.

The Health Practice Associates Council (HPAC) is the UK's regulatory body for pre-hospital urgent and emergency clinical responders whose grades are not governed by statute. We are a non-profit organisation that works with stakeholders across the United Kingdom and seeks to register clinicians who meet our standards for the skills and training associated with their scope of practice, behaviour, and health to protect the public.

Accordion Example

Onboarding new applicants to the register

Our registration team check and verify each applicant's qualifications, identity, and background before approval. This comprehensive process includes a full five-point enhanced DBS check, which is subsequently registered with the update service and monitored in real-time by our safeguarding system. Additionally, we collect evidence of statutory and mandatory training, as well as Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Our team and system monitor and support registrants' compliance to ensure adherence to all required standards.

Nationwide Police Engagement

The HPAC is signposted nationwide in all police custody suites in the country as the non-paramedic referral pathway. This arrangement is based on the principles of common law disclosure and helps to rapidly identify and alert service providers of new risks to patients, staff, the public and employers. The council regularly shares intelligence with police forces in bilateral information exchanges when dealing with referrals and fitness to practice investigations. This helps both law enforcement and HPAC to better serve and protect citizens, staff, and employers through regulatory compliance.

Engagement with the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS)

The HPAC shares details of relevant referrals that we receive with the DBS. Details of our investigations, including registrant compliance with the fitness to practice process and outcomes, provide valuable insight for the Barring Service when assessing individuals. It is crucial that all providers of regulated activities (employers or volunteer managers of those working in regulated activity in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland) understand their legal duty to make a referral to the DBS if certain conditions are met. Learn more by following this link.

July Spotlight on Council Members

Dave Blain is an independent safeguarding consultant with 42 years in the health sector, retiring from the NHS in 2021. A paramedic by training, he spent the last 25 years in child and adult safeguarding across various NHS services, including acute trusts, ambulance services, and Clinical Commissioning Groups. He was the national safeguarding advisor to the College of Paramedics from 2012 until retirement and contributed to numerous national safeguarding projects with the Department of Health, Home Office, and NHS England. Dave established and chaired the National Ambulance Safeguarding Advisory Group for seven years and participated in over 100 multi-agency safeguarding reviews and 34 Domestic Homicide/Suicide Reviews. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Paramedic Science, a BA (Hons) in Teaching and Learning, and a PGCE.

MJ is a seasoned professional with over 12 years in Oil & Gas, Subsea Construction, and renewable energy. A British Army CMT1 veteran, she now serves as an HSE Offshore Medic and QHSE advisor, holding an MSc in Safety Health and Environment. MJ manages one of the five UK companies offering HSE Offshore Medics, MCA, Health & Safety, and medical qualifications courses. Her company, AdventureMed, created one of the UK's first Mental Health First Aid Awareness courses, inspired by her brother's tragic death. MJ also works as a medic for remote expeditions and enjoys completing ultra-marathons globally.

Why is HPAC needed?

There are up to 30,000 face-to-face pre-hospital patient contacts per day in the UK made by ambulance staff wearing the trusted green uniform. Did you know that in the UK only 50% of frontline ambulance staff are regulated by statute? Whilst the vast majority of clinicians are safe, patient-centred, extremely caring individuals, sadly, as in all areas, some pose a genuine risk to patient and staff safety. We believe that with the support of like-minded stakeholders, using a non-statutory approach, we can bridge this gap in regulation.

All patients and staff deserve to be safe.

Support regulation compliance, reduce risk being passed on or inherited.

NON-PARAMEDIC AMBULANCE STAFF

There is no good reason for the UK not to pursue the same safeguarding standards as Ireland and the USA. It's time to catch up and regulate 100% of patient-facing ambulance staff.

Who is registered and how much does it cost?

£79.50 per year

There is a registration fee of £79.50 per year, which is applied automatically every twelve months on the renewal date, OR £12.99 per month, which can be cancelled at any time. A high-quality driver's licence-style ID card with multiple security features, including NFC instant DBS status check (revalidated every 24 hours). If an applicant is not on the update service, a fresh DBS check will be run at no additional cost (subsequent DBS checks or replacement ID cards may carry an extra charge).

Regulated Grades

Grade
First Aiders (FA)
Emergency First Responders (EFR)
Ambulance Care Assistants (ACA)
Emergency Care Assistants (ECA)
Ambulance Technicians (EMT)
HPAC registered EMTs are IHCD BTEC L3 equivalent, FREUC 5 or higher
Associate Ambulance Practitioners (AAP)
HSE Offshore Medics (OSM)

Before applying to register, please click here to ensure you understand how we map our grades and what training/qualifications are required for each.

Employers can support the register by enrolling here | Clinicians can apply for registration here | Media inquiries: [email protected] | Public inquiries: click here | Make a donation here

Email: [email protected] | [email protected] | Tel: 0208 0048226 (Tues - Fri, 10am - 4pm)
The Health Practice Associates Council is a Community Interest Company (CIC) registered in England and Wales, company number 10830551, and is regulated by the Information Commissioner's Office and the Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies.

Check the Register...

Regulated Grades