HCPC renewal for paramedics and the importance of having appropriate indemnity insurance

The 1 June 2015 marked the start of the biennial event that affects every paramedic across the United Kingdom: the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) renewal process. This is something that for many paramedics causes a certain degree of anticipation and trepidation, and inevitably begs the question: ‘shall I get one envelope through the letterbox or two?’ We have all been part of the work-based discussion of who is within the 5% threshold and who has been picked for audit. While this is enough for any well-mannered and best-intentioned paramedic to be getting on with, this year there is something else to occupy our minds. From 1 April 2015, and for the first time, all registrants of the HCPC (excluding social workers) will be asked to confirm that:

The reason that this has come about is because in 2014, amendments were made to the Medical Act 1983 (c. 54) stipulating that all registrants (excluding social workers) must have a professional indemnity arrangement in place. The purpose of the Health Care and Associated Professions (Indemnity Arrangements) Order 2014 (SI 2014/1887) was to ensure that if any service user were brought to harm through the negligence of a registrant, they would have a method to recover compensation that they may be entitled to. This change in legislation symbolises a significant shift in our obligations as healthcare professionals and how we view our duties towards our patients.