Recently, the Chief Allied Health Officers/Adviser in the four nations released a statement on regulation for advanced practice for allied health professionals (AHPs).
Although the Board of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has approved a proposal to have an additional level of regulation for advanced clinical practice in Nursing and Midwifery, the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) has confirmed it won’t introduce such regulation. We support this decision.
Regulation helps keep the people accessing our services safe, but current evidence suggests there’s no need for extra regulatory measures for advanced practice for AHPs.
Extra measures would involve extra cost and bureaucracy that the professions being regulated would have to oversee. We’re concerned that any regulatory requirements would be based on a medical model, which doesn’t include occupational therapy practice and could potentially exclude occupational therapists from advanced practice positions. Too many occupational therapists already experience challenges to progressing their careers, so this would create another barrier which doesn’t benefit the public or the profession.
The Department of Health and Social Care has proposed bringing all health regulators and professional bodies together to decide regulatory policy. We’ll make sure we’re part of these conversations. We’ll also continue our discussions with other AHP organisations about the plans and actively monitor and respond to developments.
We’re developing a framework and principles to help create programmes for advanced practice in occupational therapy. With funding from NHS England, we’re working with selected universities to identify the principles for occupational therapy advanced practice.
Advanced practice for paediatric occupational therapists
In addition to this, NHS England’s Centre for Advancing Practice and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have published a new multi-professional Advanced Practice Framework for Paediatric and Child Health. It outlines the educational and training requirements for advanced practitioners, including AHPs.
One of our Professional Advisors, Dr. Sally Payne, was a key member of the writing group, ensuring the framework's relevance and applicability to AHPs. The framework sets clear expectations for advanced practice trainees, describing the competencies they need to demonstrate their readiness to practice at an advanced level. It also includes practical illustrations to help practitioners showcase their knowledge and skills, ensuring they can work safely and effectively with infants, children, and young people.