To answer that 'NO', what has been mentioned is the word 'standard' with the definition 'a unit that may be measured through testing', were or what does the VRCT test. The HNC etc does test.

I have nothing against regulation what i do object to is having to pay for it and getting nothing out of it. Just seems like someone is getting rich due to others naivety.

Jobs for the boys as usual.

I have seen several person specifications that want a person who is eligible to joint the VRCT as an essential requirement.
Those who have the qualifications and experience and have decided not to join the register are thus included.
This is an easy way of saying the minimum standard of person you want.

You are now not allowed to say you want a person with so many years experience as you are effectively setting an age limit of school leaving age plus that number of years of experience. This is age discrimination, so not allowed.
But doesn't the register ask for a certain amount of experience?
Does this make the VRCT discriminatory, so not allowed?

But how do you put down the amount of experience you want of a person?
Must have fault-found and repaired 150 syringe pumps without supervision?

Robert

Is that 150 actual repairs or just 150 pumps that have been reported as faulty?

Lee

May I be allowed to enter this discussion to make a number of points regarding recently raised (or re-raised) issues.

1. Next time you visit your GP or hospital as a patient would you be happy to be told that the nurse/doctor/radiographer/etc dealing with you is not a registered healthcare professional? That there is no evidence that they have been educated and trained in their chosen profession. Thus they may or may not not be competent and consequently not understand that their actions could seriously affect your safety. However, the individual knows they are safe so there is no problem!

2. Most healthcare professionals within the hospital environment are now required by the employer to be registered with an appropriate regulatory body. No registration = no work! This is now being extended by the Department of Health to cover all healthcare professionals. Thus for those professions currently not covered by regulation there are steps in place to change that situation. Hence the process which the VRCT and others are currently going through. Furthermore the Department of Health said in their letter of 11th December 2007:

"This note is to alert Strategic Health Authorities and provider organisations of the change in timescales to the regulation of five aspirant groups of healthcare scientists, outlined below. In addition, it is important that employers continue to encourage staff delivering services in these areas to apply to and remain on the appropriate voluntary registers in the interests of public protection."

Thus we are being urged to join the appropriate voluntary register. In my personal opinion it is a question of conscience whether or not you join the voluntary register. At this time it is up to you but at sometime in the near future it may not be. If you are not eligible to join your employer should be working with you to ensure that you can register once you have achieved the necessary competencies.

3. Discrimination in terms of age, ethnicity, etc is now not allowed and thus is enshrined in employment law. When you apply to join the VRCT you are not applying for employment. You are applying to have your knowledge, skills and experience as a Clinical Technologist recognised by a bona fide regulator.

4. The fees collected by the VRCT are spent entirely on the administration of the Register. That includes postage, staionery, printing, and part of the salaries of the staff who administer the Register. None of the VRCT Assesors Panel are paid. All the work that we undertake is performed for free, however, we are paid travel expenses when we attend meetings of the Panel or are required to attend Department of Health meetings, etc. Most of the work that we undertake is carried out in our own time. I understand that VRCT costs currently just about break even. It is likely that in the near future they will publish a financial statement.

5. We are not working against those in EBME! What we are trying to do is ensure that the profession is treated in exactly the same way as all other healthcare professions: with identified and properly funded training and CPD. Plus a recognition of the complexity and safety critical nature of the work that is undertaken and of the significant abilites of the staff who perform the work.

Finally, back to my old mantra: the fundamental premise of registration is to ensure that professionals are trained fit for purpose thus ensuring the safety of the public!

Jim Methven

In response to Jim's comments, I would like to refer back to one of my previous postings regarding a radio interview with the Chief Exec of the HPC. The reason he gave for the registration of health professionals is that more and more people are visiting people, such as physiotherapists, directly without any referral from doctors, etc. Therefore, the HPC checks qualifications, references and so on.

However, as an EBME tech in a hospital, no one comes direct to me - the Trust allocates my work. The Trust have also checked my qualifications, carried out a police & CRB check and, with the on-set of KSF, ensure that I carry out training to ensure my personal & career development. So, why do I need to pay upto £120.00 to the HPC to do all this again????

Sorry to cover old but, I believe, relevant ground.

Eagle.

Jim
I totally agree that registration to make sure that a person is fit for purpose is mandatory.
However, at this moment in time there is no mandatory registration or recognised body that oversees the eligibilty of Clinical Engineers and the like.
The VRCT is a possible pre-cursor to a mandatory recognised organisation.
With that in mind, aren't the entry requirements for VRCT the same as any employer specifies for an engineer anyway?
Until such time as the government and the powers that be get round to regulating the "technical grades" within the NHS, it is only a future proofing excercise to join the VRCT for possible regulation.

But are we (biomeds) really healthcare profesionals in the true sense of the word? Or are we engineers /technicians who happen to work in a healthcare environment? We can however register as professional engineers /technicians under the auspices of the EC-UK. Which will allow us the freedom to practice outside of the NHS as well as within it.

I thought the reason for registration was to manage the people who could affect the outcome of patient care.
i.e. you could set a standard that people had to reach to get on the register, and remove them if they then did something wrong.
See the HPC web site for the reasons people have been removed from various registers.
Can we affect patient care? is the real question.
Yes if the equipment is not repaired/maintained/managed correctly.
The VRCT is a pre-cursor to compulsory regulation as Kawasaki says. It is a shame that political wrangling between various government departments and interested parties has meant that this vague, interim situation has dragged on so long and with no definite end in site.
Robert

We clearly sit within the second category, Bill. No doubt about it.


I would have thought that's pitched a bit on the high side, Robert. Fifty should be enough. After all, what's the big deal about syringe pumps?


No worries as far as I'm concerned, Jim. Just as long as she's caring, sympathetic and gentle (unlike many of the "modern" nurses that I've encountered). And anyway, why would you ask?

How does exactly does registration make you do your job any better?

To my mind, it's a bit like an MOT - your car is roadworthy for the half hour it's in the testing station but once you drive out .....until next year

So you fill your registration out, do the paperwork and get registered - unless someone comes round, sits on your shoulder and checks your work 24/7 and that you are doing what you say you are doing and that you weren't asleep and were paying full attention during that seminar, then how does differ from the MOT scenario?

All it is is jumping through hoops.