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Regulatory standards are those standards produced by individual
statutory regulatory bodies for entry onto their particular
professional registers.
These standards reflect the minimum standard that can be
expected of a given professional based on fitness-to-practise
standards that protect the public.
A statutory regulatory body is responsible for protecting
the public through setting standards for entry onto the professional
register. See the list
of professions regulated by statute.
Professional Standards
Professional Standards are produced by individual professional
bodies and other special-interest groups (such as medical,
nursing and midwifery Royal Colleges for both the statutorily
regulated, and other, professional healthcare groups).
Professional standards often supplement regulatory standards,
or they can be an alternative to statutory regulatory standards
where no statutory regulatory body exists. For example, staff
not currently regulated through statutory mechanisms (such
as through the General Medical Council for doctors, the Nursing
and Midwifery Council for nurses and midwives and the Health
Professions Council for allied health professionals) may be
supported by professional standards set by a professional
body ( See the list
of professions not regulated by statute) or by National
Occupational Standards, such as those produced by
Skills
for Health. Within a healthcare environment, a patient
will come into contact with a large and varied number of healthcare
professionals.
Scrutiny of Regulatory Bodies
The performance of Regulatory bodies is also monitored. This
is done through the work of the Council for Healthcare Regulatory
Excellence (CHRE). CHRE's mission is to:
- Protect public interest
- Promote best practice in regulation, and
- Progress regulatory excellence for healthcare professionals
Find out more about CHRE at: www.chre.org.uk
Regulation of the healthcare professions was subject to a
review between 2005 and 2006.
View UK Government White Paper on the future Regulation of
the healthcare professions
"Trust, Assurance and Safety - The Regulation of Health
Professionals in the 21st Century"
The Scottish Government is undertaking work to implement policies in the White Paper. Updates on the work being undertaken can be viewed at www.scotland.gov.uk/trustassurancesafety .
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