PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Care Workers: Registration (19 February 2019)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a national registration and accreditation system for care workers.

Asked by:
Darren Jones (Labour)

The Government has no plans to introduce a national registration and accreditation system for care workers in England at this time.

The Government is committed to a proportionate system of safeguards for the professionals who work in the health and care system. Statutory professional regulation should only be used in cases where the risks to the public cannot be mitigated in other ways.

Care workers in England are subject to employer checks and controls including a Disclosure and Barring Service check. And, since 2015, healthcare assistants and care support workers have been expected to achieve the care certificate before working unsupervised. This contains 15 standards setting out a common set of skills, knowledge and behaviours that are needed in order to provide safe, high quality and compassionate care.

Answered by:
Stephen Hammond (Conservative)
25 February 2019