Health & Care Professions Council ‘snub’, as it goes ahead with ‘extortionate’ fee hike

15 Feb 2019 10:58 AM

The Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) has delivered a snub by pushing ahead with an ‘extortionate’ registration fee hike, despite receiving a 38,000-signature petition protesting at the 18% increase.

Unite, the union, led the protests at the increase from £90 to £106 a year – on Monday (11 February) the union handed in the petition to HCPC chief executive Marc Seale calling for the rise to be scrapped.

Unite lead professional officer for regulation Jane Beach yesterday said:

“Today the views of the 38,000 mainly health professionals who signed the petition have been ignored which is very disappointing, given the cogent arguments we put forward that NHS pay has stagnated in real terms while the cost of living has raced ahead.

“The HCPC has given a massive snub to our members’ legitimate concerns about any fee hike.

“We consulted widely with our members who have to register with the HCPC in order that they can work professionally – and they gave the proposed increase a resounding thumbs down. Now they have been given a financial kick in the teeth by the HCPC.”

Unite argued that the increase from October 2019 would be another financial blow to hard-pressed NHS staff, such as biomedical scientists, paramedics and speech & language therapists, who have seen the fees increase by 40% since 2014.

Notes to editors:

For more information please contact Unite senior communications officer Shaun Noble on 020 3371 2060 or 07768 693940. Unite press office is on:  020 3371 2065

Email: shaun.noble@unitetheunion.org