Other health regulators

There are 13 organisations in the UK known as health and social care regulators. We each oversee the health and social care professions by regulating individual professionals.

We were set up to protect the public so that whenever you see a health or social care professional, you can be sure they meet our standards.

Who is registered?
Anyone from one of the professions listed below must register with the relevant regulator. If they are not, then they are breaking the law and we can prosecute them. Our registers are made up of only those professionals who have demonstrated that they have met our standards.

Because regulation is so important to standards of treatment and care, our registers are open to the public. So if you want to check your professional is registered, you can do this online or call us.

How can you find out more?
Please get in touch with us if you want to know more. Our full contact details and web-site addresses are listed below

• The General Chiropractic Council (GCC)
  Regulates: Chiropractors
  Tel: 020 7713 5155
  Website: www.gcc-uk.org
  
  
• The General Dental Council (GDC)
  Regulates: Dentists and dental therapists. From 2006 our registers will also include dental nurses, dental technicians, clinical dental technicians and orthodontic therapists.
  Tel: 020 7887 3800.
  Website: www.gdc-uk.org
  
  
• The General Medical Council (GMC)
  Regulates: Doctors
  Tel: 0845 357 8001
  Website: www.gmc-uk.org
  
  
• The General Optical Council (GOC)
  Regulates: Dispensing opticians and optometrists
  Tel: 020 7580 3898
  Website: www.optical.org
  
  
• The General Osteopathic Council (GOsC)
  Regulates: Osteopaths
  Tel: 020 7357 6655
  Website: www.osteopathy.org.uk
  
  
• The General Social Care Council (GSCC)
  Regulates: Social care workers (England only)
  Tel: 020 7397 5100 (10-12 & 2-4pm)
  Website: www.gscc.org.uk
  
  
• The Health Professions Council (HPC)
  Regulates: Arts therapists, Biomedical Scientists, Chiropodists/ Podiatrists, Clinical Scientists, Dieticians, Occupational Therapists, Operating Department Practitioners, Orthoptists, Paramedics, Physiotherapists, Prosthetists and Orthotists, Radiographers, Speech and Language Therapists
  Tel: 020 7582 0866
  Website: www.hpc-uk.org
  
  
• The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
  Regulates: Nurses, Midwives and Specialist Community Public Health Nurses.
  Tel: 020 7333 6622
  Website: www.nmc-uk.org
  
  
• The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB)
  Regulates: pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy premises.
  Tel: 020 7735 9141
  Website: www.rpsgb.org.uk
  
  
• Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI)
  Regulates: Pharmacists and pharmacy premises in Northern Ireland
  Tel: 028 9032 6927
  Website: www.psni.org.uk

The Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE) aims to protect the public, promote best practice and progress excellence in relation to the regulation of healthcare professionals. Our work covers nine regulators of healthcare professionals. For more information about us, please visit www.chre.org.uk