An overview of regulated grades, qualification standards, professional development expectations, scope of practice and eligibility for registration with HPAC.
Certificate requirements
Certificates must have no outstanding modules, preceptorship hours or end-point assessments, and must remain valid for at least six months from the date of submission.
Pre-hospital care personnel working for CQC-registered employers are required to complete induction training that covers safeguarding, moving and handling, and health and safety in the workplace. Clinicians who do not work for a CQC-registered employer are encouraged to complete these sections voluntarily.
HPAC provides a Statutory and Mandatory evidence section for registrants to record qualifications and support compliance monitoring.
Helpful sites: eLfH and Skills for Health
All registrants are expected to engage in CPD and key skills refreshers to maintain current knowledge and competence within their registered grade. This supports safe practice and high standards of care.
HPAC accepts only certificates that are fully accredited by the awarding body. Certificates must have no outstanding modules, preceptorship hours or end-point assessments, and must remain valid for at least six months from the date of submission. All required refresher courses must be completed.
*Where an awarding body charges a fee to validate a certificate, the applicant is responsible for that fee. HPAC will not add any extra charge.
HPAC is a regulator, not an authoriser of practice. Actual scope of practice is the responsibility of the individual and their employer with reference to applicable law, guidelines, training and competencies.
The Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh created the PHEM Skills Framework to describe competencies across levels of pre-hospital care. View the framework.
| HPAC grade | PHEM category |
|---|---|
| First Aider (FA) | A, B or C |
| Emergency First Responder (EFR) | D |
| Emergency Care Assistant (ECA) | E |
| Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) | F |
*HPAC does not base its grades on the PHEM Skills Framework. It is shown as a general reference only. HPAC assesses each qualification independently for suitability within our grading structure.
HPAC can only accept blue light certificates or training recognised by the AACE-endorsed Driver Training Advisory Group (DTAG) or a statutory emergency ambulance service provider within the United Kingdom, British Crown Dependencies, or British Overseas Territories. Typically, these are issued via the statutory ambulance service provider or a regulated external training provider such as Qualsafe (L3 CERAD) or FutureQuals (L3 CERAD). Read more.
Select a grade above to see the qualifications we accept.
Category A, B or C on the FPHC PHEM Skills Framework
First aid certificates MUST be nationally recognised within the RQF and regulated by Ofqual, SQA or Qualifications Wales, or issued by a recognised Voluntary Aid Society.
The minimum course length for application to register as First Aider is one day (8 hours).
For CQC-registered employers, completion of Core Skills Training Framework (CSTF) modules is required. Recognition of prior learning will be mapped against current Level 3 Ambulance Support Worker non-urgent standards. Enhanced evidence scrutiny fees may apply for cross-mapping.
Community First Responders are volunteers trained and appointed by an NHS Ambulance Trust to attend emergency calls in their local community and give care until an ambulance arrives.
Only evidence issued by an NHS Ambulance Trust is accepted for this grade.
Category D on the FPHC PHEM Skills Framework
Registrants may also use an NHS Ambulance Trust Community First Responder certificate for this grade.
If you are seeking recognition of prior learning using a certificate not listed above, enhanced evidence scrutiny fees may apply for the cross-mapping exercise.
Category E on the FPHC PHEM Skills Framework
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.
Category F on the FPHC PHEM Skills Framework
Registrants may also use the regulated Level 4 Associate Ambulance Practitioner qualification for this grade.
Recognition of prior learning is mapped against Level 4 Associate Ambulance Practitioner standards. Enhanced scrutiny fees may apply.
Associate Ambulance Practitioners work as part of an emergency ambulance crew, assessing and treating patients in emergency and urgent situations.
Only the regulated Level 4 Associate Ambulance Practitioner qualification is accepted for this grade.
Paramedics register with HPAC on a voluntary basis as an additional registration and must maintain active HCPC registration without restrictions. If a Paramedic is struck off, suspended or made subject to restrictions on their practice by the HCPC, their profile will either be removed from the HPAC register or, when selected, will direct the user to their HCPC profile.
HPAC is not able to accept student paramedic training or partial completion of a paramedic degree as evidence of an accredited qualification for registration. Transcripts, module sign-offs, or placement records alone are not sufficient.
To register at a specific grade other than First Aider based on paramedic training, provide one of the following:
Where year one of a paramedic degree has been completed, HPAC may recognise the registrant as a First Aider. First aid certification must be renewed at least every three years.
HPAC cannot accept a nursing degree, diploma, or NMC registration alone as evidence of an accredited qualification for EFR, ECA, or any grade above First Aider. Nursing education does not include all competencies required for HPAC emergency care grades.
To register at a grade other than First Aider based on nursing qualifications, provide one of the following:
This aligns registration with national qualifications frameworks and protects the public and the registrant by ensuring scope of practice is supported by a formally recognised qualification.
HPAC may recognise the nurse as a First Aider. First aid certification must be renewed at least every three years to remain valid for registration.
Anyone who has been struck off, suspended or placed under a restricted practice order by a statutory regulator or any other professional register cannot apply to HPAC. Nor can anyone who appears on a barred list or a sex offenders register. Removal from a non-statutory register or barred list may also be grounds for ineligibility. See the ineligibility criteria in our terms and conditions.
Awarding bodies that wish to have qualifications assessed for inclusion should email [email protected]. Please indicate which HPAC grade your qualification maps to and include a specification document for assessment.
Start your HPAC registration with confidence. All documents are handled securely and in compliance with GDPR.