Business Plan 2026/27

Vision

Safer care for all through high standards of conduct and competence in health and social care professionals.

Mission

To protect patients, service users and the public by improving the regulation and registration of health and social care professionals.

Strategic Aim 1

To protect the public by delivering highly effective oversight of regulation and registration.

This strategic aim relates to our statutory duties to report on the performance of regulators and to accredit registers of unregulated groups.

• To deliver our statutory duties, targeting our resources where there is greatest risk to the public in line with right-touch regulation.
• To support high standards in health and social care regulation and registration through our performance reviews, Section 29 reviews, Accredited Registers programme, policy and communications functions.
• To seek greater engagement with stakeholders to assess the performance of regulators and Accredited Registers.
• To review and improve our processes including legislative changes where necessary) to ensure they remain effective and efficient.

Strategic Aim 2

To drive improvements in regulation and registration in health and social care

This strategic aim builds on our core reporting duties to cover facilitating, advising and enforcing to promote and support continuous improvement in the work of regulators and Accredited Registers.

• To use advice, guidance and targeted and timely interventions (such as enhanced monitoring, issuing recommendations and requiring performance improvement plans) to support regulators and Accredited Registers to meet our Standards.
• To support continuous improvement in regulators and Accredited Registers using research, data analysis, policy advice, stakeholder engagement, the principles of right-touch regulation and feedback on performance.
• To use guidance, regulatory data and artificial intelligence (AI) to support a more positive, innovative, anticipatory and preventative approach to regulation and registration.
• To promote, influence and support regulatory reform in line with the Government’s objectives.
• To promote and monitor equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in our work and in those we oversee.

Strategic Aim 3

To work with others to make the overall system of healthcare regulation more cohesive, supportive and preventive

For the regulation of health and care professionals to be effective, it must reflect multi-disciplinary teamworking and be aligned to the regulation of the places where care is delivered, as well as with the regulation of medicines and other products. Requirements set by regulators and employers also need to align in ways that minimise unnecessary burdens and maximise opportunities to support professionals in delivering high quality care. Through this strategic aim, we will help shape a more joined-up regulatory system that prioritises prevention in seeking to address the causes of poor practice and consequent harm. The regulatory system should also foster collaboration, support and learning.

• To encourage the UK governments to develop regulatory strategies to support the delivery of workforce plans whilst maintaining safety and public confidence.
• To address any areas of over- or under-regulation in the health and social care workforce across the UK, working in collaboration with others.
• To support collaboration between regulators and with wider stakeholders to develop safer working environments.
• To work with regulators, Accredited Registers, registrants and other stakeholders to improve workplace cultures which support registrant wellbeing, learning, continuous improvement and the prevention of harm.