HCPC: Reflecting the needs of contemporary practice

Published by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in 2005 (then the Department of Health), Taking Healthcare to the Patient identified a number of ways in which the transformation of ambulance services in England could improve patient care.

The report recommended that, rather than always conveying to hospital, paramedics should be able to assess, treat and, if necessary, decide on the appropriate care pathway for the patient. This included being able to treat, provide advice to patients on self-care, and signpost or refer to primary or secondary services.

The report went on to state that education and training for paramedics needed to focus on the diagnostic and clinical reasoning skills needed to deliver this type of care. Specifically, it highlighted the need for knowledge and skills in physical assessment, clinical decision-making, long-term conditions, minor illness and injury.

In 2013, Health Education England (HEE) published the Paramedic Evidence Based Education Project report. Commissioned by the DHSC and funded by the College of Paramedics, the report recommended that the paramedic profession should move towards becoming an all-degree workforce.