Coronavirus (COVID-19) impact notice: HPAC services are impacted with significant delays to processing during August - September 2021. Thank you for your patience.

Our register aims to regulate clinicians who meet our standards for the skills and training associated with their scope of practice, their behaviour and health. We also support employers to safely streamline their recruitment process, as well as monitor the ongoing professional conduct of their HPAC registered staff, both clinically, and, if applicable, as blue light drivers via the HPAC Blue Light Driver's register.

Verification, DBS & Organisation Access

All registrants held on our register are audited and verified. We verify registrants' qualifications, driver's licence, their identity - including the use of biometric facial matching and background checks to match certificate to applicant. We carry out Enhanced DBS checks and our system automatically monitors DBS certificates in real-time for changes in status, enabling rapid response when a potential risk to the public or staff is identified. All registrants are expected to maintain a CPD relevant to their registered grade. We pride ourselves in having an advanced safeguarding system that helps employers to rapidly identify staff with concerning behaviours or allegations, helping to keep patients and other staff safe.

Joining the register, either as a registrant or as an organisation (to access the HPAC portal), helps to drive up standards of expectation in the industry, promotes best practice and helps to keep patients, the public and staff safe.

Who is registered?

You can look for individuals practising within the grades listed below, verify if they are registered with us and their current status. First Aiders / Community First Responders/ Ambulance Care Assistant / Health Care Assistants / Phlebotomists / Emergency Care Assistants / Emergency Care Support Workers / Ambulance Technicians (HPAC EMTs are IHCD equivalent or higher) / Associate Ambulance Practitioners. There may be other registrant grades that do not feature on this list.

All our registrants have gone through a full verification process and audits are conducted on a regular basis.

Our Mission Statement and Core Values

Mission Statement

The Health Practice Associates Council puts the patient at the centre of everything we do. We seek to ensure best practice, high standards of competence, proficiency and patient safety are adhered to by all our registered practitioners through regulation and support.

Core Values

- Put patient and public safety first

- Show care and compassion to all stakeholders

- Always strive to be fair and objective in decision making

- Pursue best practices at all times

Who owns the HPAC and how did it start?

The Health Practice Associates Council (HPAC) is a legally recognised council that is owned by the public and registered with Companies House as a non-profit Community Interest Company. The register was originally launched in 2015 to provide the UK with a non-statutory regulator for non-paramedic ambulance personnel making us the first UK wide registration scheme for non-paramedic ambulance personnel. The register was developed in collaboration with seven NHS Ambulance Trusts, input from St John Ambulance and British Red Cross, as well as from key independent ambulance service providers. Our Vice-Chairman was the project lead for the registration of paramedics in the UK in 2001. He set up and ran the IHCD programme which was used nationwide by NHS Ambulance Services to train their Paramedics and Ambulance Technicians until recent years. Our Chairman was Chair of the College of Paramedics from 2010 - 2017, he wrote many of the standards the HCPC uses to hold paramedics to account, introduced many advancements in training standards for Paramedics and the way the NHS Ambulance Service functions, including the introduction of Make Ready. As a regulator, the HPAC is set up to protect the public and support clinicians throughout their professional development. As it has progressed we have welcomed on board registrants from different sectors of the health economy such as Health Care Assistants, Phlebotomists and more.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information & Guidance

Public Health England, Health Protection Scotland and other agencies including the Departments of Health and Social Care are regularly updating their guidance for health and care personnel and information for the public.

Kindly check regularly for any new statements issued, as well as being aware of guidance from your employer.

The Department of Health and Social Care and Public Health England

COVID-19: guidance for health professionals >

Latest information and advice for the public >

Health Protection Scotland

Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) Guidance for health protection team >

Latest information and advice for the public >

The Department of Health and Social Care and Public Health Wales

Advice including who to contact if you are concerned about coronavirus >

Department of Health (Northern Ireland)

Covid 19 (coronavirus) - situation in Northern Ireland >

The Care Quality Commission | NHS Safeguarding | National Police Chiefs Council| Independent AmbulanceAssociation recognises the Health Practice Associates Council register in supportingthe safe recruitment of non-paramedic ambulance clinicians.

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