1.     Introduction     

BrisDoc’s policy is to ensure all patients are treated by professionally registered staff.

In line with BrisDoc’s main business focus areas, we are committed to:

• Ensuring our clinical staff are appropriately registered to perform the duties they are contracted to do to ensure patient safety.
• The confirmation of a staff member’s registration status forms a vital part of the public’s protection.
• Adhering to our legal responsibilities, the employment of professional staff is limited to those whose names are included in the register maintained by the relevant regulatory body.
• Regulatory reviewing and maintaining a database that keeps professional registration records up to date.
• Appropriately managing staff that have not maintained their registration.
• Reminding the member of staff in advance of the expiry date of their professional registration, ensuring ample time to update and renew.
• Compliance with both legal responsibilities and employment regulations to avoid any risk of financial claims and breach of liability insurance cover in place.
• Ensuring appropriately registered staff are employed to avoid any unnecessary delays and costs in obtaining registration.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that BrisDoc can fully exercise its duty to protect the public and patients by employing appropriately registered clinical staff.

Scope

This policy applies to all professional staff in posts where a mandatory qualification / professional membership/registration is required for the post. The policy applies to all such groups of staff required by law to be professionally registered – in BrisDoc. This policy applies to GPs (including locum GPs), Nurses (including bank/casual workers), Emergency Care Practitioners (Autonomous Practitioners), and Pharmacists.

Responsibilities

The Employer

BrisDoc meets its responsibility by ensuring:

• A system is in place to check that the registration status of staff is confirmed and monitored on an ongoing basis. These details are held within Rotamaster. This database is maintained by the Workforce Team (for all salaried staff and casual workers) and Workforce Governance Co-ordinator (for all sessional and locum staff).
• That prompt action is taken to protect the public’s and patients’ interests when a staff member is found not to be registered. In consultation with the Workforce Team and Workforce Governance Co-ordinator, it is the responsibility of the Directors to determine appropriate action. This could include:
• Suspension and the commencement of an investigation, normally in line with BrisDoc’s Disciplinary Policy / Procedure
• Moving the co-owner to duties of a lower pay band, where registration is not required until registration confirmation.

The Staff Member

It is the responsibility of all professional staff (which includes salaried, casual workers, locum and sessional staff) working at BrisDoc who are required to register with an appropriate regulatory body to:

• Retain current and up-to-date registration;

 

• Present timely proof of continuing registration to the Workforce Team /Workforce Governance Co-ordinator or their line manager if requested;

 

• Inform the registration office of the relevant regulatory body if their registered address changes;

 

• Ensure they understand their responsibilities under the policy and consult their line manager if they believe their registration status has been affected.

The Manager

It is the responsibility of line managers / appointing officers to ensure:

• Registration is confirmed at offer stage of the Recruitment and Selection procedure. No new recruit is allowed to commence employment until all the necessary checks have been completed.

 

• The Workforce Team is informed about co-owners appointed to a non-qualified post before registration and subsequently move into a qualified post that requires registration.

 

• An investigation is conducted should registration be found to have lapsed. This is normally in line with BrisDoc’s Disciplinary Policy and Procedure.

 

The Workforce Team / Workforce Governance Co-ordinator

It is the responsibility of the Workforce Team and Workforce Governance Co-ordinator to:

• Ensure registration is confirmed at the offer stage of the Recruitment and Selection procedure and the appropriate paperwork (e.g. NMC/GMC/HCPC/GPhC certificates) is returned to the Workforce Team or Workforce Governance Co-ordinator. No new recruit is allowed to commence employment until all the necessary checks have been completed Ensure all new starter forms are fully completed and contain the registration number and expiry date.

 

• Carry out regular registration checks online and update the database accordingly.

 

• Check the online register for all newly recruited professional staff and add them to the database.

 

2.    Registration Details

General Practitioners (GPs)

All GPs must be registered with the General Medical Council (GMC) and have a License to Practice – see Appendix 1 for contact details.

Both these elements (i.e. Registration and Licence to Practice) are confirmed via the online GMC Employers Confirmation. Any additional notes/advice on the GP “record” will also feature on this.

Most GPs qualify as a GP and are added to the GP Register around August therefore, registration renewal for this staff group tends to be the same time of year.  Registration must be updated annually.

For a GP to practise as a GP in England, they must also be registered on an NHS England Performers List, which is verified via https://www.performer.england.nhs.uk/.

In addition, they must provide BrisDoc with the following:

• Evidence of their Medical Indemnity
• The date of their last GP appraisal (with NHS England) should be within a 15-month timeframe unless there have been exceptional circumstances that must be fully laid out.

 

Registered Nurses

All nurses must be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council – see Appendix 1. Registration expiry dates vary for this staff group across the year (depending on the point that they became a registered nurse.)  Registration must be updated annually.

For prescribing nurses, it is important to check that nurses are qualified to prescribe. This is usually indicated by the code “V300” on the Employers’ online confirmation services.

For all Nurse registration codes, see Appendix 2. 

Emergency Care Practitioners / Paramedics

All paramedics must be registered with the Health & Care Professionals Council (HCPC) – see Appendix 1. Registration expiry dates vary for this staff group across the year (depending on the point that they became a registered paramedic).  Registrations must be updated every 2 years but are checked annually.

Pharmacists

All pharmacists must be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) – see Appendix 1. Registration expiry dates vary for this staff group across the year (depending on the point that they became a registered paramedic). Registration must be updated annually.

Frequency of Registration checks

	Professional Registration	Performers List	Indemnity	GP Appraisal
GP	Upon Recruitment, Checked Annually	Upon Recruitment, Checked Annually	Upon Recruitment, Checked Annually for salaried GPs	Upon appointment for Locums
Nurse	Upon Recruitment, Checked Annually (via a monthly check to ensure capturing different registrations dates)	N/A	N/A	N/A
ECPs/Paramedics	Upon Recruitment, Checked Annually (via a monthly check to ensure capturing different registrations dates	N/A	N/A	N/A
Pharmacists	Upon Recruitment, Checked Annually (via a monthly check to ensure capturing different registrations dates	N/A	N/A	N/A

 

Documents obtained upon recruitment are saved in the individual’s personnel file (electronic or paper) and logged on the database.

All on-line checks are updated on the appropriate database, with copies of any evidence/paperwork saved in the individual’s personnel file (electronic or paper).

Related Policies

• Recruitment & Selection Policy and Procedure
• Disciplinary Policy and Procedure

 

 

Implementation Record

Date	Action	Comments	Name

 

Appendix 1: Registration Confirmations and Contact Details

Confirming Registration

Professional registration is confirmed to individuals by the issue of a certificate or pin card/number. This should be copied and held on personal file as a minimum when the member of staff commences in post and ideally at subsequent renewal of registration. Initial copying of this certificate should be undertaken at selection stage of the Recruitment & Selection process and forwarded to the Workforce Team with the selection documentation.

All professional registers are accessible via the internet.

 

General Medical Council (GMC)

Address	London Office, Regents Place, 350 Euston Road, London, NW1 3JN
Website	https://www.gmc-uk.org/registration-and-licensing/the-medical-register
Telephone	0161 923 6602 or 0161 923 6602
Email	gmc@gmc-uk.org

 

Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)

Address	23 Portland Place, London, W1B 1PZ
Website	www.nmc-uk.org (for which a code and password is held in HR for an enhanced employers search)
Telephone	Main switchboard: 020 7637 7181 Registration contacts: 020 7333 6600 or 020 7333 9333
Main Fax	020 7637 7181
Email	UKenquiries@nmc-uk.org

 

Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC)

Address	Park House, 184-186 Kennington Park Road, London, SE11 4BU
Website	https://www.hcpc-uk.org/
Telephone	020 7840 9814 / 0800 328 4218 (Fitness to Practice Department)
Email	ftp@hcpc-uk.org

 

 

General Pharmaceutical Council (GPC)

Address	25 Canada Square, London E14 5LQ
Website	https://www.pharmacyregulation.org/
Telephone		020 3713 8000
Email	info@pharmacyregulation.org

 

Appendix 2: Nurse Registration and Qualification Codes

Nurses part of the register Sub part 1

• RN1: Adult nurse, level 1
• RNA: Adult nurse, level 1
• RN3: Mental health nurse, level 1
• RNMH: Mental health nurse, level 1
• RN5: Learning disabilities nurse, level 1
• RNLD: Learning disabilities nurse, level 1
• RN8: Children’s nurse, level 1
• RNC: Children’s nurse, level 1

Nurses part of the register Sub part 2

• RN2: Adult nurse, level 2
• RN4: Mental health nurse, level 2
• RN6: Learning disabilities nurse, level 2
• RN7: General nurse, level 2
• RN9: Fever nurse, level 2

Midwives part of the register

• RM: Midwife

 

Specialist community public health nursing part of the register

• RHV: Health visitor
• HV: Health visitor
• RSN: School nurse
• SN: School nurse
• ROH: Occupational health nurse
• OH: Occupational health nurse
• RFHN: Family health nurse
• FHN: Family health nurse
• RPHN: Specialist community public health nurse

Recordable qualifications

• V100: Communtiy practitioner nurse prescriber
• V150: Community practitioner nurse prescriber (without SPQ or SCPHN)
• V200: Nurse independent prescriber
• V300: Nurse independent / supplementary prescriber
• LPE: Lecturer practice educator
• TCH: Teacher
• SPA: Specialist practitioner: Adult nursing
• SPMH: Specialist practitioner: Mental health
• SPC: Specialist practitioner: Children’s nursing
• SPLD: Specialist practitioner: Learning disability nurse
• SPGP: Specialist practitioner: General practice nursing
• SCMH: Specialist practitioner: Community mental health nursing
• SCLD: Specialist practitioner: Community learning disabilities nursing
• SPCC: Specialist practitioner: Community children’s nursing
• SPDN: Specialist practitioner: District nursing

3.    Change Register

Date	Reviewed and amended by	Revision details	Issue number
June 2015	CL Nicholls	Change GP Contracts Team to Workforce Governance Co-ordinator, update CQC standards, update 4-way model, inclusion of Rotamaster as the database for maintaining records, removal of reference to centralising checking body for alerts about GPs.
March 2019	S Aubertin / N Clegg	Change reference from HR to Workforce Team Update of who the policy applies to (to include Pharmacists) Updates to the responsibilities of the Manager and Workforce Team Added in Section 5.4 – table of frequency of checks Included website details for HCPC and GPhC in Appendix 1 Updated Nurse Registration Codes in Appendix 2
May 2020	M Batten	Change performer list checks for GPs to annual. Updated Indemnity checks to annual for salaried GPs only.
October 2023	M Duncan/ H Hinton	Title Page: Job titles changed. Introduction: Removal of business plan. All sections: Changed from employee to co-owner. All sections: Re-wording/grammar change	3.2