Statutory & Mandatory Training

Pre-hospital care personnel are required to undertake staff induction covering statutory and mandatory subjects e.g. safeguarding, moving and handling and health & safety in the workplace. This is a mandatory pre-hospital sector obligation for all staff under various Health and Safety Executive (HSE) requirements.

It is a requirement, under regulation 18 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, for CQC registered organisations to provide suitably qualified, competent and experienced staff to enable them to meet all other regulatory requirements described in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

Certificate Validity

We are only able to accept certificates that are fully accredited by the awarding body. They must have no outstanding modules, preceptorship hours or additional elements, and must be valid for a minimum of six months from the date of submission. Relevant refresher courses must have been completed.

Continuous Professional Development and Key Skills Refreshers

We expect all registrants across every grade to actively engage in continuous professional development (CPD) and related key skills refreshers. This commitment helps ensure you possess the most current knowledge, understanding, and competencies needed to safely meet your registered grade's scope of practice. Engaging in these activities not only enhances your professional growth but also helps ensure the highest standards of care and service are met.

Scope of Practice

HPAC is a regulator, not an authoriser of practice. Actual scope of practice is the responsibility of the individual and/or their employer with reference to the relevant law/guidelines/training/competencies in accordance with practice jurisdiction.

FPHC PHEM Skills Framework

The Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh created the PHEM Skills Framework to encompass personnel of varying levels, ranging from First Aiders to Advanced Pre-Hospital Medical Practitioners, and to span multiple organizations within UK prehospital care. Find out more here

Blue light drivers: View requirements

Kindly note that individuals who have been struck off, suspended, or placed under a restricted practice order on a statutory or voluntary register may not be eligible to apply to the HPAC.

HPAC Registrant Grades

First Aider (FA)

Category A or B on the FPHC PHEM Skills Framework

We can only accept nationally recognised certificates obtained from a training centre for an ‘awarding organisation’ (AO) recognised by national qualification regulators (Ofqual, Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) or Qualification Wales). Or certificates issued by a Voluntary Aid Society named on our First Aid requirements page. The minimum training time for an HPAC registered First Aider is a one day course.

Find out more here

Emergency First Responder (EFR)

Category C or D on the FPHC PHEM Skills Framework

Requires one of the following:

Ambulance Care Assistant (ACA)

Requires one of the following: 

In order to meet the ACA standard, registrants are required to have all the elements of Core Skills Training Framework (CSTF) NHS / Skills for Health. Read more here. If you are seeking recognition of prior learning, evidence will be mapped against current level 3 Ambulance Support Worker Non-urgent standards (enhanced evidence scrutiny fees may apply for the cross-mapping exercise).

Emergency Care Assistant (ECA)

Category E on the FPHC PHEM Skills Framework

Requires one of the following:

If you are seeking recognition of prior learning, evidence will be mapped against current level 3 Ambulance Support Worker Emergency, Urgent and Non-urgent standards (enhanced evidence scrutiny fees may apply for the cross-mapping exercise). 

Ambulance Technician (EMT) 

Category F on the FPHC PHEM Skills Framework

Requires one of the following:

If you are seeking recognition of prior learning, evidence will be mapped against current Level 4 Associate Ambulance Practitioner standards (enhanced evidence scrutiny fees may apply for the cross-mapping exercise). 

Associate Ambulance Practitioner (AAP)

Category F on the FPHC PHEM Skills Framework

Requires one of the following:

Offshore Medic (OSM) 

To register for this grade, applicants must hold current HSE registration as an Offshore Medic and, by extension, must have completed an HSE recognised Offshore Medic Course.

Applicants to Offshore Medic Courses must meet the criteria set out in the Offshore Installations and Pipeline Works (First Aid) Regulations 1989, (SI 1989 No. 1671), which states you must be one of the following:

Currently, only UK qualifications are accepted at present; this may change in the future. If you are unsure if you are eligible, please contact [email protected]

It is important to note that Offshore Medics (OSMs) who register with the HPAC, do so on a voluntary basis,. However, HPAC registration will provide the Offshore Industry with standards of conduct, professionalism, and ethics.

HCPC Registered Paramedic (PA)

Paramedics must be registered with the HCPC in order to apply to the HPAC (more information)

It is important to note that Paramedics who register with the HPAC do so on a voluntary basis as an additional registration, provided that their HCPC registration has no current practice restrictions. Registering with the HPAC does not replace the requirement to maintain active HCPC registration, and a valid HCPC PA number is required in order to be registered with the HPAC. Paramedics must ensure that their HCPC registration remains active at all times in order to remain on the HPAC register. If a Paramedic's HCPC registration is revoked, suspended, or subject to a restricted practice order, they will be immediately removed from the HPAC register as the HCPC holds primary jurisdiction in these matters.