Review of Professional Registration and Regulation 2016/17 (with annual report & accounts)

Background

This report describes our view of the regulation and registration of people working in health and care in the UK in 2016/17. It fulfils our legal duty to inform Parliament each year how effectively regulation and registration are protecting the public. Our observations draw on evidence from performance reviews, audits, policy and research activities. We have also taken note of the views of people who have contacted us about the regulators and accredited registers or responded to our consultations and have drawn on published sources of the regulators and registers as well as others.

This is the second review of professional regulation and registration in this format. It gives us the opportunity in one report to draw out general themes arising from our oversight of the nine professional regulators and 23 accredited registers as well as insights from our work in regulatory research and policy. Here we provide Parliament with our views on how well the regulatory framework is operating to protect the public, uphold standards, and maintain public confidence. We also publish separate reports on the nine regulators.

The UK professional regulatory model is widely respected. The Authority itself is regarded internationally as a leader of regulatory thought and development. In addition to advising our UK governments, we have been called upon for advice and expertise by governments and regulators in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Hong Kong, and New Zealand. This experience has of course broadened both our exposure and our understanding of effective regulation. We are sorry therefore, to have to express some concern about the ongoing robustness of the regulatory framework in the UK.