Frequently asked questions

Email

For all general enquiries please contact registration@hcpc-uk.org

For all international enquiries please contact international@hcpc-uk.org

Telephone

Call +44 (0) 300 500 4472

Address

Health and Care Professions Council
Park House
184 Kennington Park Road
London
SE11 4BU

You can find a list of current and previously HCPC approved degree courses on the HCPC website.

If your degree was completed outside the UK and you have professional experience as a biomedical scientist, you will need to contact the HCPC to apply for registration through their international application route.

If the HCPC reject your application, you can request a degree assessment.

You can then contact the HCPC to apply for registration once you have completed:

• any recommended top-up modules,
• completed an IBMS Registration Training Portfolio and
• have been awarded an IBMS Certificate of Competence.

An IBMS Accredited postgraduate degree does not count towards the academic requirements for HCPC registration, but it does meet the requirements for registration with the Science Council as a Chartered Scientist (CSci).

You will meet HCPC standards of proficiency for registration as a biomedical scientist if you are studying or have completed:

• an IBMS Accredited or
• an HCPC approved honours degree in biomedical science

The IBMS also accredit and the HCPC approve a small number of healthcare science honours degrees that meet HCPC standards for registration as a biomedical scientist.

If you have completed an IBMS Accredited or HCPC approved honours degree find out how to become HCPC registered.

If your IBMS Accredited degree was awarded before 2002, to become HCPC registered your degree should be assessed to determine its suitability for HCPC registration.

If you completed an IBMS Accredited or HCPC approved degree and achieved an ordinary or pass degree please visit our FAQ page to find out how to become HCPC registered.

If your degree has not been accredited by the IBMS, you will need to contact registration@ibms.org to request a degree assessment.

Once you have completed:

• any recommended top-up modules and
• an IBMS Registration Training Portfolio 
• and have been awarded an IBMS Certificate of Competence

you can contact the HCPC to apply for registration.

Please contact the IBMS Registration Team to request a degree assessment. 

The IBMS assesses non-accredited qualifications against HCPC education standards to determine whether individuals will need to undertake supplementary education/top-up modules to meet HCPC standards of proficiency for biomedical scientists.

To ensure that your name stays on the HCPC Register you must renew your HCPC registration by:

• using your online HCPC account or
• downloading and sending an HCPC renewal form and payment to the HCPC

If you were previously HCPC registered and now wish to be re-registered, you will need to reapply to the HCPC.

You will need to complete an IBMS Registration Training Portfolio - a qualification designed to demonstrate that you meet HCPC standards of proficiency.  

Your portfolio must be completed in a laboratory which holds current IBMS pre-registration training approval, which you can begin while you study any recommended top-up modules from your degree assessment.

Our CPD scheme allows you to show you have met HCPC CPD standards by recording your CPD activities against the HCPC CPD categories and uploading your evidence as part of the record. It is designed so that if you are ever audited by the HCPC, or for your own records, you can easily download your recorded activities as a PDF file as well as any evidence.

As well as being able to record your CPD using our system, we can also signpost you a wealth of digital content to use including: webinars, podcasts, videos, articles and documents.