Character

This page provides information about our standards for the good character of health professionals.

In order to register a health professional, and in order to maintain their registration, we need to be assured that they are of good character. We need to do this because it is in the Health Professions Order, the legislation that created the HPC and sets out what we do.

This means that when a health professional registers with us, we need information from them about any criminal convictions. We also need information from them if they have been subject to a decision by any other regulator (either a regulator in the UK of another profession, or a regulator outside the UK).

In addition, the health professional needs to send us a character reference, which has been signed by someone 'of professional standing in the community'. This includes a health professional registered by the HPC, doctor, solicitor, accountant, bank manager,
justice of the peace, minister of the church, rabbi, imam or other religious official.
More information about the character reference, aimed at applicants, is available on this page .

The person who signs the character reference needs to confirm that they have known the applicant for at least three years, and that they do not know of any reason why they should not practise their profession 'with honesty and integrity'.

While health professionals are registered with us, if they are convicted or cautioned, then we are informed by the police. In addition, registered health professionals have a responsibility to let us know any information about convictions or cautions which they receive while registered.

More general information about the standards we set for the character of our registrants is available on the page about our standards of conduct, performance and ethics .