Transparency & Accountability
The Health Practice Associates Council (HPAC) is a not-for-profit, non-statutory regulator committed to protecting patients and the public through professional registration, continuing oversight and clear standards.
The register was initially trialled in 2014, and HPAC was incorporated as a Community Interest Company in 2017. In October 2020, HPAC registered as a council, taking the name Health Practice Associates Council CIC.
Employers, practitioners and the public should be able to understand how HPAC is governed, the safeguards behind registration and how we meet our responsibilities.
Register first trialled
2014
Community Interest Company
2017, no. 10830551
Registered as a council
October 2020
Our governance
HPAC has a Board of Directors and a Council, bringing together expertise from NHS ambulance services, private and voluntary sectors, safeguarding, healthcare and other professional backgrounds.
The Board oversees the company, while the Council contributes to professional standards, registration policy and the consideration of concerns. Leadership includes both employed and voluntary roles, and brings professional and lay involvement into the oversight and development of HPAC.
Board of Directors
Chief Executive Officer
Leader of the Board of Directors
Executive Directors
Non-Executive Directors
Council
Chairman
Leader of Council
Council Members
Lay Council Members
Stakeholders
Registrants
Organisations
External Stakeholders
This chart is illustrative. Some positions may be vacant at times.
Meet the CouncilPositive registration and public protection
HPAC operates a strictly positive registration model. Our public register lists practitioners who have satisfied our registration requirements and remain in good standing.
Every applicant undergoes due diligence, including identity and background screening, an enhanced DBS check, verification of qualifications and assessment against the appropriate registration grade. Our oversight continues throughout registration, supported by HPAC’s own purpose-built registration and safeguarding platform.
DBS monitoring
DBS status is revalidated every 24 hours through the DBS Update Service.
Driving standards
For registrants on our blue light and patient transport (PTS) driver registers, driving licences are revalidated with the DVLA every 12 weeks.
Qualifications and training
Each qualification is verified and mapped to the appropriate registration grade. We continue to monitor qualifications and statutory and mandatory training throughout registration.
Professional standards
Concerns are reviewed through established processes, including fitness to practise review panels and action under our Terms and Conditions.
Code of ConductThe public register confirms current registration. At this stage of our journey, and within our current funded resources, it does not yet publish suspensions, removals or rejected applications. HPAC keeps records of its registration decisions, and requests for disclosure are considered individually using the Section 29 Disclosure Request Form.
Beyond the public register
Employer assurance and direct notifications
With the registrant's permission, organisations can link to their registration through the HPAC portal. Linked organisations receive direct notifications of significant developments affecting the practitioner, including when the practitioner no longer appears on the public register.
Employers can verify current registration on the public register and must not rely solely on previously issued ID cards or certificates.
Funding and accountability
HPAC is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company funded through registration fees, organisation subscriptions to the HPAC portal and donations. HPAC has not yet received government funding, although there is growing support for funding the next stage of our regulatory development.
Our resources support the people, systems and processes behind registration, qualification verification, safeguarding, compliance monitoring and the consideration of professional concerns. HPAC is a Community Interest Company limited by guarantee, with no share capital and no shareholders. It is asset-locked and run in the public interest.
Public records
Our annual accounts, company filings and director appointments are publicly available at Companies House.
View HPAC at Companies HouseSupport our work
Donations help fund the checks, monitoring and safeguarding behind the register.
Make a donationOur continuing development
HPAC is committed to strengthening its regulatory arrangements as the organisation grows.
Accreditation through the Professional Standards Authority's Accredited Registers programme is the natural next step for HPAC, and a milestone we are working towards and are confident of achieving. As funding and capacity develop, we intend to establish fully resourced tribunal services and expand public reporting to include registration sanctions, removals and the reasons for those decisions.
These developments will build on the safeguards, professional standards and oversight already in place.
Directors
HPAC's directors as recorded at Companies House. Company directorships are separate from Council roles.
Current directors
Grant de Jongh
Dr Andrew Newton
Benjamin Thompson
Justin Wand
UbiquiCore Limited Founding organisation
Previous directors
With gratitude for the years of service our former directors gave to the Board.