Organisations call proposed HCPC fee increase ‘disproportionate and excessive’
Led by the BPS, a coalition of professional bodies and trade unions has joined forces to raise its concerns about a proposed HCPC fee increase.
01 November 2022
In a letter to the Health and Care Professions Council, the coalition warns that the almost 20 per cent proposed increase is hugely out of step with the current cost of living crisis which people are facing, calling the amount 'disproportionate' and 'excessive'.
The increase proposed in the consultation launched in September will raise fees by £19.62 to £117.74, double the current rate of inflation. The coalition is worried the increase will have a knock-on effect on staff recruitment and retention, with many staff seeing a reduction in real-term wages over many years with pay failing to keep pace with inflation.
Sarb Bajwa, Chief Executive of the BPS, said:
We strongly believe it is irresponsible to take any measures that could ultimately act as a disincentive to staff from either continuing in or returning to their important roles at a time when there are already serious concerns about workforce capacity and staff shortages.
We know the importance of the HCPC and the role it plays, and appreciate that everyone is facing an increase in costs, however we believe it is unreasonable to impose such a steep increase and expect registrants to shoulder this burden.
As organisations representing the many health and care occupations covered by the HCPC register we believe it is important to come together on this issue to make our position to HCPC clear.
We would encourage all our members to respond directly to the consultation, or feed into their professional bodies' response.
The BPS wants to hear the views of members who are registered with HCPC and encourages them to respond to our survey by 14 November.
Members can also submit their responses to the consultation by completing this form and emailing it to Nigel Atter.
The deadline for submissions is 14 November 2022.