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Health issues that need to be declared

We expect registrants to monitor their health and ensure they maintain their fitness to practise.

When we talk about ‘health’, we mean any health conditions which may affect either an applicant or a registrant’s fitness to practise; that is, their ability to practise safely and effectively.

Standard 6.3 of your standards of conduct, performance, and ethics says:

‘You must make changes to how you practise, or stop practising, if your physical or mental health may affect your performance or judgement, or put others at risk for any other reason.’

You should tell us about your health condition if it affects your ability to practise safely and effectively. You should also tell us if you are not sure whether your health condition affects (or could affect) your ability to practise, or what steps you need to take to stay safe and effective.

You do not need to tell us if your health condition does not affect your practice or you are sure you can adapt, limit, or stop your practice as needed to remain safe and effective. In other words, you do not need to tell us so long as you can meet standard 6.3.

While each registrant is responsible for ensuing their own fitness to practise and managing risk, the HCPC expects registrants to seek appropriate healthcare advice when they have health concerns and to follow the advice of medical professionals.

This applies for conditions that affect your physical health as well as your mental health.

If you are unsure about whether your health impacts your fitness to practise after you have sought appropriate healthcare advice, you should approach the HCPC.

Health conditions and assessing risk

This flow chart shows a simplified process of assessing whether a registrant meets standard 6.3 and if they need to make a declaration to the HCPC. Each individual’s risk assessment will look different based on their role and their health condition and if you are unsure about your health condition’s impact on your ability to practise safely, declare it to the HCPC.

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Page updated on: 30/07/2021
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