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Understanding regulatory bodies is key to your professional journey. This page gives you an introduction to regulatory bodies and an overview of the main organisations that set standards and ensure safe, effective practice for AHPs.
You’ll find information about some of the regulatory bodies that guide professional conduct, quality of care, and service delivery. These resources will help you stay informed, meet your responsibilities, and feel confident about the regulations that support both you and the people you care for.
What are Regulatory Bodies?
What are Regulatory Bodies?
Regulatory bodies are official organisations that are responsible for governing and enforcing laws and standards for practice within specialist sectors (particularly within health and social care professions) to ensure safety, fairness, quality, and competency of practitioners.
Take a few minutes to watch the video below to understand what they do and why they do it.
What do regulatory bodies do- with music (1).mp4Why is this relevant to students?
Why is this relevant to students?
As a future health and social care professional, knowledge and understanding of regulatory bodies is essential, as it is key for quality assurance, preventing harm, and increasing patient safety in practice (Browne et al., 2021).
Therefore, upon starting your apprenticeship journey, it would be beneficial to do some research to identify who regulates your profession and begin familiarising yourself with the professional standards.
The Four Pillars of Practice
The Four Pillars of Practice
The four pillars of practice are:
Clinical Practice
Education
Research
Leadership
As a future health and social care practitioner, understanding the 4 pillars is essential towards becoming a competent, well-rounded, and impactful professional.
(McCormack et al., 2004)
Regulatory bodies help embed these pillars into everyday practice by:
Promoting lifelong learning
Setting standards
Encouraging innovation
Promoting leadership
These pillars aren't just expectations - they're opportunities to grow, influence change, and deliver care that can truly make a difference to people's lives. These pillars can help practitioners understand that professional standards are not just about rules - they reflect the holistic development of professional practice, and facilitate shaping the future of their profession (Health Education England, 2017).
Ofsted
Ofsted
This informational poster gives an overview of the new Ofsted 2025 Education Inspection Framework and how it relates to you as an apprentice.
Ofsted Inspections - No need to worry!
Ofsted inspections usually happen every four years and look at the whole university - not just your course. If Health and Social Care apprentices are involved, it’s normally just a small group. If an inspection is coming up, you’ll be told well in advance and given clear guidance and support. You won’t be expected to do anything alone, and the university will help you feel confident and prepared if you’re asked to speak to an inspector.
This document has some examples of potential questions Ofsted could ask you during an inspection. ➡️➡️➡️➡️➡️
OFSTED potential Qs.docxWe hope that these resources will help you feel prepared and reduce any anxiety surrounding Ofsted inspections. If you have any further questions, contact your course leader to discuss these.
If you would like to explore the framework further, follow this link:
Education inspection framework: for use from November 2025 - GOV.UK
The Health and Care Professions Council
The Health and Care Professions Council
The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) is a UK regulatory body that is responsible for establishing and maintaining professional standards for a wide range of health and social care professions. They ensure that practitioners adhere to the rigorous standards of education, training, and conduct in order to deliver safe and effective care.
As future allied health professionals, you must register with HCPC upon receiving your qualification and embarking on your professional career. This significant milestone confirms that you are qualified, competent, and fit to practice.
HCPC regulates 15 professions:
Arts Therapists (Art, Music, Drama Therapists)
Biomedical Scientists
Chiropodists / Podiatrists
Clinical Scientists
Dietitians
Hearing Aid Dispensers
Occupational Therapists
Operating Department Practitioners
Orthoptists
Paramedics
Physiotherapists
Practitioner Psychologists
(Includes clinical, counselling, educational, forensic, health, occupational, sport & exercise psychologists)Prosthetists / Orthotists
Radiographers
(Diagnostic and Therapeutic)Speech and Language Therapists
(HCPC, 2025)
Evidencing Continuous Professional Development (CPD)
Once you qualify, you’ll need to apply for registration with HCPC (or your profession's appropriate regulatory body). You can find guidance on how to apply here.
After registration, you’ll be expected to maintain evidence of your Continuing Professional Development (CPD). HCPC may audit a random selection of registrants to check this. That’s why we encourage you to build your professional portfolio on PebblePad - it helps you develop good habits early, and you can take your PebblePad account with you after leaving SHU to continue adding evidence throughout your career.
For more information about HCPC, see the links below:
How the standards apply to students | The HCPC
Guidance on conduct and ethics for students | The HCPC
Standards of conduct, performance and ethics | The HCPC
Care Quality Commission (CQC)
Care Quality Commission (CQC)
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is England's independent regulator of health and social care services. They set the fundamental standards of care and ensure that care provided in settings such as hospitals, local authorities, and care homes is safe, compassionate, effective, and high-quality.
CQC sets the fundamental standards of care. CQC conducts inspections of services and publishes a report detailing the service's rating (Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, Inadequate) to improve transparency and accountability in care services.
CQC inspections are based around five key areas:
Safe
Protecting people from harm and abuse.
Effective
Delivering care that achieves good outcomes.
Caring
Treating people with compassion and dignity.
Responsive
Meeting individual needs.
Well-led
Ensuring strong leadership and governance.
(CQC, 2025)
Apprentices are expected to align their practice with these principles, and could also be involved in an audit/inspection in their workplace; therefore, developing an awareness of how your role contributes to meeting regulatory requirements not only enhances your competence but also prepares you for future responsibilities as qualified practitioners.
If you have any further questions, discuss them with your supervisor.
References
Browne, J., Bullock, A., Poletti, C., & Cserző, D. (2021). Recent research into healthcare professions regulation: a rapid evidence assessment. BMC Health Services Research, 21(1). NCBI. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-021-06946-8
CQC. (2025). The five key questions we ask - Care Quality Commission. Care Quality Commission. https://www.cqc.org.uk/about-us/how-we-do-our-job/five-key-questions-we-ask
HCPC. (2025). Professions and Protected Titles. https://www.hcpc-uk.org/about-us/who-we-regulate/the-professions/
Health Education England . (2017). Multi-professional Framework for Advanced Clinical Practice in England. https://www.hee.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/documents/multi-professionalframeworkforadvancedclinicalpracticeinengland.pdf
Mccormack, B., Manley, K., & Garbett, R. (2004). Practice development in nursing. Blackwell Pub.
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