I’m Stephanie Tempest, an occupational therapist since 1997 and a HCPC registrant.
Since early last summer, I’ve had the privilege of working part-time as a Clinical Fellow at the HCPC, bringing my knowledge and experiences from working across sectors, including clinical practice, education, research and national strategic leadership.
My role centred on guiding and delivering an important piece of work to support registrants and managers in their understanding of ways to meet regulatory standards at advanced levels of practice. Having spent the past decade specialising in workforce learning and development, this project offered exactly the kind of challenge and career growth I was seeking.
Our project aims
The project had three core aims:
- To understand perceptions from multiple stakeholders on scope of practice, delegation and supervision at advanced levels of practice.
- To provide regulatory support to registrants, managers and strategic leaders on the following topics at advanced levels of practice:
- scope of practice
- scope optimisation
- delegation
- supervision - To develop multimedia resources to help registrants and managers apply regulatory standards at advanced levels of practice.
The project was commissioned by NHS England, with a UK-wide focus. The standards relating to scope of practice, supervision and delegation have been at the heart of this work as they are essential for enabling practitioners to work safely, effectively and in ways that reflect their expertise.
A project driven by collaboration and knowledge sharing
Achieving these aims required broad engagement, active listening and a commitment to working together across the UK, professions and sectors.
Working within the Policy and Standards team, I’ve been part of a wider project group, collaborating not only with different teams internally but also with external partners. This cross regulatory collaboration included working closely with the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC), creating a rich learning environment and ensuring the work benefitted from diverse professional perspectives.
Maintaining safe and effective practice
The project focused deeply on how regulatory standards already support people working at or towards advanced levels of practice, as well as their managers. This part of the workforce brings a wealth of knowledge and skills, and I’ve valued reinforcing how the existing regulatory frameworks appropriately support them to contribute to high-quality, person-centred care.
Of course, regulation is just one part of the wider professional landscape. Safe and effective practice relies on collaboration across the system, in which registrants, employers, managers, professional bodies, unions and regulators all play essential roles. As we explored the contemporary issues around advanced levels of practice, it was vital to work collectively and acknowledge the substantial work already underway across the sector.
Listening, learning and engaging with a wide range of people
To build a meaningful picture, we gathered insights from thousands of key stakeholders. We designed multiple ways for people to connect with us, ensuring the process was accessible, diverse and representative.
I led 37 listening conversations with a wide range of groups, including professional bodies, unions, national and regional strategic leaders, academics delivering postgraduate education and research, and registrants working in multiple sectors across the four UK countires. These conversations gave us rich, qualitative insights into both challenges and opportunities at advanced levels of practice.
As awareness of the project grew, we received, and gratefully accepted, invitations to present at 10 multiprofessional meetings, conferences and webinars run by colleagues across the system. This external interest reinforced the relevance and importance of the work.
A successful webinar series
Our own webinar series, delivered between September and November 2025, demonstrated just how engaged the workforce is on these topics. More than 5,000 people registered and nearly 2,500 attended, which is an impressive conversion rate.
Of those attending:
were registrants working towards or already practising at advanced levels; and
were managers, including multiprofessional colleagues such as nurses and doctors.
Facilitating webinars of this scale was both exciting and, admittedly, a little nerve-wracking. Although I have extensive experience in teaching and presenting, these were the largest online audiences I’ve ever interacted with. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and this remains one of my standout personal highlights from the project.
During the webinar sessions, we encouraged active participation through live questions, polling and reaction functions. We are also grateful to the 171 people who completed the post-webinar evaluation, offering detailed feedback that helped shape the next stage of the work.
Developing multimedia resources that respond to real-world needs
All insights gathered as part of our engagement activities were analysed by the project team and highlighted several areas where further clarity and support would be valuable for registrants working at advanced levels of practice and their managers.
These key themes directly informed the development of a diverse set of high-quality resources that meet different learning needs and preferences, including:
- new downloadable resources, such as a Shared Update on the regulation of advanced levels of practice and a reflective template to help define and explain scope of practice (both in collaboration with GOsC);
- new web content created specifically to support the understanding of advanced levels of practice;
- enhanced web content to improve clarity and ensure relevance to current professional practice;
- access to webinar recordings and slide packs to support CPD activities; and
- signposts to further guidance and resources, including examples from professional bodies and other organsiations.
I’m proud of the breadth and quality of the materials we’ve developed. We made a conscious effort to ensure they are accessible, practical and available in multiple formats, so there is something for everyone. They underwent robust review processes designed to assure quality and accuracy, and benefitted from the expertise of many colleagues across the system. Professional bodies, academics, strategic leaders, registrants, managers and partners in the wider healthcare and regulatory landscape all played a role in shaping this content.
My hopes for the resources
I encourage you to explore the full range of outputs now available on the HCPC website and consider how they can support your own practice, leadership or strategic work. Whether you are developing your own role, supporting others or designing services, I hope you find content that informs, supports and inspires your next steps.
Looking ahead
This fellowship offered me significant CPD, invaluable insights and the opportunity to contribute to work that supports practitioners at advanced levels of practice and multiprofessional managers. It reinforced my belief that advancing the workforce requires collaboration, shared purpose and a consistent commitment to professional development and excellence.
I am proud to have played a part in this project and grateful for the chance to work alongside colleagues who care deeply about improving our collective understanding of the application of existing standards apply to evolving models of practice. As advanced levels of practice continue to mature across health and care, I hope the project outputs of this project help strengthen the foundations for safe, effective and collaborative practice.
Personal reflections
As I write this blog, my work on this project is coming to an end. There is a great deal for me to reflect on. This work has deepened my appreciation for how essential it is that all parts of the system work together to ensure safe and effective practice, particularly in areas where understanding continues to develop and roles continue to expand.
I hope the resources we’ve developed contribute to nuanced, informed and wide-ranging conversations. Most importantly, I hope they help keep our collective focus on what matters most - delivering the highest quality services for the people and communities we serve across all settings and sectors.
