A survey of healthcare assistants (HCAs) shows that 85% support regulation of their profession and 89% are prepared to pay towards it. The survey was conducted by Ipsos MORI, on behalf of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).
Dr Peter Carter, RCN chief executive and general secretary, said: “The healthcare assistant members in the survey were keen to be professionally regulated alongside registered nurses and almost all saw official recognition of their role, and protecting the good name of HCAs, as benefits of professional regulation – alongside increased trust and confidence from registered nurses and the public. This would also mean that a code of conduct would apply to their work, and would ensure patient safety, public protection, and confidence in the valuable work of HCAs. “We believe that a pragmatic first step would be for assistant practitioners, the most senior healthcare assistants who work with nurses in the delivery of nursing care, to be regulated by the body that professionally regulates nursing. This should then lead to professional regulation for all healthcare assistants.”
