After a successful application

After an aspirant group has made a successful application to the Council, there are several stages to go through before the profession can join the Register. This page describes that process

The Council can recommend to the Secretary of State that a profession should be regulated, but the actual decision to regulate that profession lies with the government.

The Secretary of State, with other Health Ministers, will decide the application. If the application is successful, a Government-sponsored order under Section 60 of The Health Act 1999 will be prepared. The Department of Health will work with the aspirant profession/organisation on the provisions of this order. The work will take about four months. The period may include a public consultation.

The order will be revised in the light of any comments received, and laid in Parliament. This will take about two months.

The Order will then be debated by both Houses of Parliament and must be approved by both. It cannot be amended at this stage. This will take about one month.

The Order will then be signed (this is known as ‘making the Order’). The Order can, but need not, come into force on the same day that it is made.

The necessary changes to the Register will then be made as soon as possible. There may be a need for transitional arrangements (i.e., a grandparenting period), and by this time, the occupation will need to have the necessary infrastructure in place for regulation to begin. This includes standards of education and training, standards of proficiency, and tests of competence.