Use of protected titles after 1 April 2003

Citation

(2003), "Use of protected titles after 1 April 2003", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 33 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/nfs.2003.01733cab.013

Use of protected titles after 1 April 2003

Use of protected titles after 1 April 2003

The Health Professions Council (HPC) has obtained legal clarification over the use of protected titles by the unregistered sector until 2005. This particularly relates to those currently undertaking training at private institutions, whose courses are not approved for state registration.

It is anticipated that the law will change so that, after 1 April 2003, anyone using the common titles of the professions regulated by the HPC must be on the HPC register, or they will be liable to prosecution.

There is an exception to this for anyone who has previously been practising under a protected title. These practitioners may continue to use that title until 2005. During this time they can apply to come on to the HPC register via the "grandparenting" process.

However, legal advice confirms that unregistered practitioners will only qualify for this exception if they have been in practice before 1 April 2003. Anyone who starts practising after that date will only be able to use a protected title if they have taken an approved course and are registered with the HPC.

Those individuals who have trained at private sector training institutions and start practising after April 2003 can still apply for grandparenting, but cannot use a protected title until they have successfully applied to come on to the register.

This may apply to students currently studying in the private sector who do not complete their training until after 1 April 2003, or individuals who have previously qualified from private sector institutions, but do not start practising until after 1 April 2003.

These individuals may wish to gain relevant experience in order to support their grandparenting application, but will have to do so without using a protected title. Anyone who improperly uses a protected title will be committing an offence. If they then apply to come on to the HPC register under the grandparenting rules, conviction of this offence may be taken into account in assessing their application.

For more information, please see www.hpc-uk.org/ and follow the link to grandparenting information.