(0)

Ethics and Ethical Standards for HCPC Regulated Health & Care Professionals

Principles, Standards and Professional Conduct in Health and Care

  • About 2 hours estimated learning time
  • 6 sections, 19 lessons
  • Checkpoints and a 15-question final assessment
  • Online, self-paced, any device

About this course

The Health and Care Professions Council regulates fifteen distinct professions, from paramedics working alone at the roadside to biomedical scientists who may never meet a patient, and from practitioner psychologists to hearing aid dispensers working in a commercial setting. Despite these differences, every registrant works to the same Standards of conduct, performance and ethics, and every registrant can face the same ethical questions: how to obtain valid consent, when to share information, how to keep relationships professional, what to do when something goes wrong, and how to stay within their scope of practice.

This course explains the ethical principles behind the HCPC's standards and applies them to situations HCPC registrants actually face. It covers the HCPC's role, protected titles and scope of practice, the core principles, honesty and candour, records, conflicts of interest, consent and communication, delegation and supervision, boundaries, and how the HCPC responds when standards are breached.

CPD Value and How to Record It

This course is designed to provide approximately 2 hours of learning, including reading, the reflection points, the reflective account and the assessment. In the UK, CPD is generally recorded as the time actually spent learning, so you should record the time you genuinely spend, which may be more or less than the estimate.

How the course fits your revalidation or CPD requirements depends on your regulator. For example, the NMC asks nurses, midwives and nursing associates to record 35 hours of CPD over three years, of which at least 20 must be participatory; self-directed online learning such as this course usually counts as individual learning unless you complete it with others. The GMC expects doctors to reflect on CPD for appraisal and revalidation rather than setting a fixed number of hours. The HCPC, GDC, GPhC, GOC, GOsC and GCC each set their own CPD requirements, so check the current rules that apply to you. Always keep your certificate together with your written reflection.

What you will learn

  • Explain why ethics is central to practice in every HCPC profession.
  • Describe the HCPC's role, protected titles and the importance of scope of practice.
  • Apply autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice and confidentiality.
  • Act with honesty, apply the duty to be open when things go wrong, and keep good records.
  • Manage conflicts of interest, consent, delegation and supervision ethically.
  • Keep relationships with service users and carers professional.
  • Understand the HCPC fitness to practise process and how to remediate.

Who it is for

All fifteen HCPC regulated professions, including paramedics, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, radiographers, speech and language therapists, dietitians, practitioner psychologists, biomedical and clinical scientists, and those responding to a concern

Standards and law covered

HCPC Standards of conduct, performance and ethics; standards of proficiency (2023); standards of CPD; HCPC fitness to practise process; Mental Capacity Act 2005 and consent law

Course content

Lessons open one after another as you work through the course. They unlock once you enrol.

1Overview of Healthcare Ethics3 lessons
  • 1.1 What Healthcare Ethics Means
  • 1.2 Why Ethics Matters in the Health and Care Professions
  • 1.3 The Role of the HCPC
  • 1.4 Summary Points and Quiz for Section 1
2The Core Ethical Principles in Healthcare Practice4 lessons
  • 2.1 Autonomy
  • 2.2 Doing Good and Avoiding Harm
  • 2.3 Justice
  • 2.4 Protecting Confidential Information
  • 2.5 Key Points and Knowledge Check: Section 2
3Professional Integrity and Honesty3 lessons
  • 3.1 Maintaining Honesty and Integrity
  • 3.2 The Duty of Candour
  • 3.3 Keeping Clear Records
  • 3.4 Key Points and Knowledge Check: Section 3
4Patient-Centred Care and Shared Decision-Making2 lessons
  • 4.1 Informed Consent
  • 4.2 Communicating with Patients
  • 4.3 Summary Points and Quiz for Section 4
5Professional Boundaries and Conduct2 lessons
  • 5.1 Delegation, Supervision and Learners
  • 5.2 HCPC Guidance on Boundaries
  • 5.3 Key Points and Knowledge Check: Section 5
6Breaches of Expected Ethical Standards4 lessons
  • 6.1 Typical Breaches
  • 6.2 Consequences of Breaching Ethical Standards
  • 6.3 How the HCPC Responds to Breaches
  • 6.4 Steps to Remediate a Breach
  • 6.5 Summary Points and Quiz for Section 6
7Conclusion and Takeaways1 lesson
  • 7.1 Bringing It Together: Key Messages
Reflection and final assessment3 steps
  • Your reflective account
  • Final assessment: 15 questions, 80% to pass
  • Certificate of completion
2 hours

Estimated learning time

This covers the lessons, section checkpoints, your reflective account and the final assessment. Everyone works at a different pace, so record the time you actually spend in your CPD log. The player shows the time you have spent in the course to help you.

Your certificate of completion

When you pass the final assessment you can download a certificate showing your name, the course title, the estimated learning time, your completion date and a certificate number that anyone can check on this website. Keep it with your reflective account in your CPD records.

Questions about this course

How long does the course take?

The estimated learning time is about 2 hours, including the lessons, section checkpoints, your reflective account and the final assessment. People work at different speeds, so record the time you actually spend in your own CPD log.

How do I access the course after buying it?

Log in to your FTP Courses account and open the course from My Courses. The course runs in your web browser on a computer, tablet or phone, and your progress is saved to your account so you can stop and continue later.

How is the course assessed?

Each section ends with a short checkpoint. At the end there is a final assessment of 15 questions; you need 80% (12 correct) to pass. If you do not pass, you can review the course and try again after a short wait.

What do I receive when I finish?

You can download a certificate of completion showing your name, the course title, the estimated learning time, your completion date and a certificate number that can be checked online. You can also download your reflective account for your CPD portfolio.

Is this course linked to my regulator?

No. FTP Courses is an independent education provider and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any UK regulator. The course is CPD-aligned: it is written to help you learn and reflect against your regulator's published standards, and on completion you receive a certificate of completion stating the estimated learning time. Record the time you actually spend in your own CPD log, and decide how the course fits your CPD or any remediation plan, ideally with advice from your defence organisation, union or legal adviser.

Will completing the course guarantee a particular outcome in a complaint or investigation?

No course can guarantee an outcome. Decision-makers look at genuine insight, reflection and sustained change in your practice. The course is designed to support that learning; it does not replace it.