STATE REGISTRATION
Chris Hurley - Secretary RCC
The Registration Council for Cytotechnologists (RCC) has continued
working hard to accomplish successful State Registration for Cytology
Screeners with the Health Professions Council (HPC). At our inception
we looked at the ten criteria demanded by the HPC and recognised that
there were four criteria we could not meet. We joined other aspirant
professions and formed the Voluntary Registration Council (VRC) and
together we have been endeavouring to fulfil these four criteria.
When the criteria have been satisfied the VRC can take our application
for State Registration forward to the HPC. This will be in itself
a lengthy process and although we are doing our very best there is
no guarantee that our application to the HPC will be successful.
The four criteria we needed to satisfy are:
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To have Standards of Conduct and Ethics
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To have disciplinary procedures in place to uphold these standards
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To have nationally accredited, transferable, academic qualifications
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To have a Voluntary Register
We have completed the task of compiling a Code of Conduct and Ethics
and have formulated the disciplinary standards, and appeals, to enforce
these. We based our Standards of Conduct and Ethics on those of the
HPC in order to ensure the final document is compatible. We submitted
this documentation to the VRC and together with the other aspirant
professions have devised a generic Code of Conduct and generic disciplinary
standards and appeals procedures.
The process of accrediting the screening qualification is now complete.
The ‘Expert Reference Group’ drawn from the National Cervical Cytology
Education and Training Committee (NCCETC) has worked hard with ‘City
and Guilds’ steering the project and determining the learning outcomes
and assessment criteria for the award. A writing group, the examination
sub committee of the NCCETC, has written the details of each unit
and worked on the learning outcomes. The units, learning outcomes
and assignments set against these learning outcomes are now completed.
We will soon be in a position to send out application forms for our
Voluntary Register. Together with the other aspirant professions we
have devised a generic application form, and have produced guidance
notes, for each profession, to facilitate completion of the form.
Before we send the application forms out the VRC need to have a Limited
Company in place to give legal protection to the registrars. This
has been a lengthy and complex process. We have a solicitor working
for us but there have been numerous issues that needed clarification
as we progressed. However most of the issues have now been resolved.
When the registration is launched there will be an announcement on
the NAC website and the application forms will be available and downloadable
via a link. We must reiterate that in order to be successful in our
application, to the HPC, at least 25% of cytology screeners need to
be on our register. Can we remind you that we will find it difficult
to contact screeners who are not members of the NAC. We do not know
who they are or how many there are. If you know of any encourage them
to join the NAC or give contact details to any of the RCC committee.
The VRC are keen to proceed with the launch of the registration process,
possibly in April this year.
We embarked on this process after the Department of Health, in the
NHS Plan, 'Regulation of Health Care Staff in England and Wales
(DH publication 2/3/04)' confirmed that cytology screeners were
a profession that would need to be either regulated or State Registered.
After balloting cytology screeners and holding a meeting in Birmingham
screeners decided that they wanted to try for statutory, State Registration.
If successful we will be a recognised individual profession with a
protected title. We hoped that this would give us an improved career
pathway and increased status. We have made great progress so far and
hope that all cytology screeners remain wholeheartedly behind us.
Alison Baker will be talking on this subject at the conference this
year so come along and learn more.