20.11.13
HCPC highlights barriers to complaints reporting
A fifth of UK adults have experienced behaviour from a health or care professional that made them doubt their fitness to practise, new research from the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) indicates.
Of those people who’d experienced poor behaviour, over a quarter said the professional in question ‘seriously or persistently’ failed to meet standards, while 16% said they felt the professional failed to respect the rights of the patient to make their own choices.
Additionally, 13% felt they were “hiding mistakes” and 9% felt that they were exploiting vulnerable patients. Only three out of ten of those with concerns had reported this, and 73% would not know where to go to report such behaviour.
Brian James, head of assurance and development said: “The vast majority of HCPC registrants practise safely and effectively and within nationally agreed standards for professional skills and behaviour.
“However, on the rare occasion that a registrant does not meet HCPC standards, action can be taken including imposing sanctions or stopping them from practising in the most serious of cases.”
The survey was conducted by Opinion Matters.
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