RCN continues to fight for regulation

This article supports "RCN welcomes HCA training plans" on page 3 of RCN Bulletin, Issue 286, 30 November.

The RCN is determined to keep campaigning for mandatory regulation of health care assistants (HCAs) and assistant practitioners (APs), despite government plans to push ahead with a voluntary system.

The RCN has been lobbying politicians for some time over the issue and an amendment to the Health and Social Care Bill, currently being debated in the House of Lords, has been tabled to make regulation mandatory.

In the last few weeks the Government has announced that a new code of conduct and minimum training standards for HCAs in England will be introduced as part of criteria for being accepted onto a voluntary register.

Although the RCN has welcomed the plans it remains firm that it should be a legal requirement to comply with such standards.

You can add your support for statutory regulation by signing a letter to the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health, Earl Howe.

Read more about the RCN’s campaign for HCA regulation and find answers to some commonly asked questions