Our fitness to practise process is designed to protect the public from those who are not fit to practise.
When we say that a registrant is ‘fit to practise’ we mean that they have the skills, knowledge and character to practise their profession safely and effectively.
However, fitness to practise is not just about professional performance. It also includes acts by a registrant which may affect public protection or confidence in the profession. This may include matters not directly related to professional practice.
If a registrant's fitness to practise is ‘impaired’, it means that there are concerns about their ability to practise safely and effectively. This may mean that they should not practice at all. Or that they should be limited in what they are allowed to do. We will take appropriate action to make this happen.
Sometimes registrants make mistakes that are unlikely to be repeated. This means that the person’s overall fitness to practise is unlikely to be ‘impaired’. People sometimes make mistakes or have a one-off instance of unprofessional conduct or behaviour. Our processes do not mean that we will pursue every isolated or minor mistake. However, if a professional is found to fall below our standards, we will take action.
http://www.hcpc-uk.org/complaints/fit...
