Skip navigation

Consultation on changes to fees

This consultation ran from 22 September to 15 December 2022.

Download the consultation document

Dyddiad:

Dydd Iau 22 Medi, 2022 , Dydd Iau 15 Rhagfyr, 2022

Lleoliad:

Online survey

The consultation document sets out our proposal to increase the fees we charge registrants and applicants, it provides information on:

  • the way we use the income we receive;
  • the efficiencies and improvements we have made following our previous fee rise, and
  • steps we have taken to delay the need for a fee increase.

These proposals are underpinned by a careful financial analysis of what is necessary for HCPC to continue delivering our regulatory responsibilities. Without the increase we are seeking, HCPC faces no longer being financially sustainable. 

This is a consultation; we want to hear the views of our registrants and others with an interest in our work.  We will carefully consider the views you express and take them into account in finalising our proposals. 

The questions we are asking are set out at page 12 of our consultation document.

We would encourage you to read the background information set out in this document before you answer these questions.

 

Frequently asked questions

    • We are proposing to increase our annual registrant fee by £19.62.
    • This would mean it increases from £98.12 per year to £117.74 per year.
    • We are proposing to maintain the current 50% graduate discount.

    Registrants can claim tax relief against their fees, and registrants who claim this relief can save around £24.00 per year (dependent on the tax rates being paid). 

    If a registrant was not claiming this relief were to start claiming it, this would cover the cost of the proposed increase and result in a net saving to the registrant.

    Full details can be found in our consultation document.

  • If approved, an increase would come into effect for existing registrants at the start of their renewal window, beginning with professions whose window opens in July 2023.

    The majority of registrants would not pay the renewal fee increase until 2024 or 2025.

    Nevertheless, we know registrants face challenging times and so we are committed to considering ways in which we can provide them with further support.

    We have set out suggestions of how we might do this in our consultation document, and in Question 4. We welcome your views on those suggestions and your ideas on alternative measures.

    Profession

    Renewal period starts

    Clinical scientists 

    1 July 2023 

    Prosthetists / orthotists 

    1 July 2023 

    Speech and language therapists

    1 July 2023

    Occupational therapists

    1 August 2023

    Biomedical scientists

    1 September 2023

    Radiographers

    1 December 2023

    Physiotherapists

    1 February 2024

    Arts therapists

    1 March 2024

    Dietitians

    1 April 2024

    Chiropodists / podiatrists 

    1 May 2024 

    Hearing aid dispensers

    1 May 2024

    Operating department practitioners

    1 September 2024

    Practitioner psychologists

    1 March 2025

    Orthoptists

    1 June 2025

    Paramedics

    1 June 2025

    • Registration fees
    • Application scrutiny fees 
    • Graduate fees

    Full details can be found in our consultation document.

  • Our annual fees are currently the lowest of all the nine professional healthcare regulators.

    They would remain the lowest under these proposals:

    Regulator

    Annual registrant fee

    General Chiropractic Council (GCC) ARF

    £750

    General Dental Council (GDC)

    £680 Dentists
    (£114 Dental Care Professionals)

    General Medical Council (GMC)

    £406

    Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI)

    £398 (Pharmacist);
    £133 (Premises)

    General Optical Council

    £360

    General Osteopathic Council

    £320 (Year 1 entry);
    £430 (Year 2 UK);
    £215 (Year 2 reduced rate);
    £570 (Year 3 UK);
    £320 (Year 3 reduced rate)

    Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland

    £257 (Pharmacist),
    £121 (Pharmacy Technicians)

    Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)

    £120

    Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)

    Current: £98.12

    Proposed: £117.74


 

How to respond to the consulation

This consultation closed on 15 December 2022. 

 

Consultation webinars

We held a series of consultation webinars where attendees heard directly from us on the consultation, with the opportunity to ask questions and offer their thoughts. You can watch a recording of one of these webinars below:

 

Data use and privacy notice

  • We want to be transparent about the nature of the consultation we are conducting, the way in which the data is collected and how we will use survey results.

    The information you provide will be treated as confidential and will only be used for consultation purposes and internal decision making. Your comments will not be identified as belonging to you. Instead, they will be combined with those gathered from other survey participants and will be analysed as part of a group.

    Survey responses will not be published on our website. We may publish aggregated information about consultation responses and share this information with stakeholders. However, survey responses will be anonymised before disseminating.

    We may use your details to contact you in the event we have any questions about your response.

    We will handle any personal data received in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

    We are required to adhere to the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The Act provides public access to information held by public authorities. We will comply with our obligations under the Act and the relevant Information Commissioner's Office codes of practice when responding to requests. For more information, please visit our website or email foi@hcpc-uk.org.

  • This survey is published and managed by Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). We are committed to protecting your personal information and respecting your privacy. Personal information is any that identifies you or would enable you to be identified, such as phone numbers, your address and email address.

    We will take all necessary steps to make sure that the personal information you provide is processed fairly and lawfully. Only authorised staff have access to personal information, and they are obliged to respect its confidentiality. We will not sell, rent or exchange any personal information supplied by you to any third party. We will not use any of the information you provide for direct marketing or other non-research activities. You can find more information about your rights and how we use personal data in our privacy notice, which is available on our website at HCPC data protection policy and privacy notice.

    If you have any further questions about this consultation please email consultation@hcpc-uk.org.

Top