Practitioner Registration Amendments

Council, at their meeting in October, approved a revised and updated Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics as well as the Registration Declaration for practitioners. The revision, based on the guidance of PHECC’s legal advisors, is designed to update terminology and maintain currency.

The amended Code and Declaration will be activated from 1 January 2018, and will be effective for you either on your initial registration or the next time you re-register.

Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics (Implementation 1 January 2018)

  

Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics 
Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC) Registrants

 

1.    Uphold and maintain a duty of care to patients and public 

Each PHECC registered practitioner shall: 

1.1    engage in safe and competent practice, 
1.2  have the welfare of patients as their primary concern at all times, 
1.3 only practice in accordance with their status on the PHECC Register and their privileged scope of practice in respect of PHECC Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs),
1.4 provide care which could reasonably be expected from someone with a similar level of knowledge, skills, abilities, equal registration status and CPG privileging in similar circumstances, 
1.5 ensure their competence in the English language to facilitate effective patient communication to enable the registrant to practice safely. 
  
2.    Treating patients and seeking consent of patient 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Each PHECC registered practitioner shall:

2.1    identify themselves by name to patients in their care, 
2.2  where practicable seek patients’ verbal consent prior to care interventions and medication administration,
2.3  in emergencies where treatment is necessary to preserve life or to avoid significant deterioration in the patient’s health, PHECC registered practitioners may provide care where consent cannot be obtained.
2.4  when practicing will display their current PHECC licence and PIN.

3.    Maintain high standards of professional accountability

Each PHECC-registered practitioner shall: 

Education & Training
3.1    maintain their skills in line with their status on the Register and their CPG privileged status,
3.2  fulfil the Continuing Professional Competency (CPC) requirements of their registered status, 
3.3 only perform an intervention in which he or she has been adequately educated and trained and is competent in,
3.4 familiarise themselves with the current PHECC CPGs appropriate to their status on the Register.
 
Record Keeping
3.5    be committed to a high standard of clinical record keeping and data collection, 
3.6 use the Patient Care Report (PCR) as an account of pre-hospital care provided and an accurate record of the assessment, decisions made, the care delivered and the response to care,
3.7 deviations from CPGs should be appropriate to the given clinical situation and documented appropriately. 
 
Accountability
3.8    report any unprofessional, illegal or unethical conduct on the part of other health care practitioners,
3.9 if the practitioner is aware of any personal impairment, report it and seek help,
3.10 avoid all conduct likely to bring the profession into disrepute,
3.11 take appropriate action if a situation of abuse of any individual, service or professional in the course of work is identified,
3.12 intern practitioners shall perform interventions only under the clinical lead of a registered practitioner and shall limit such acts to those within their privileged status,
3.13 commit to this code and adhere to it at all times. Failure by a practitioner to comply with this code may constitute an act of professional misconduct and may be referred for investigation in respect of their Fitness to Practise.

4.    Co-operation and team work

Each PHECC registered practitioner shall:

4.1    respect colleagues and other health professionals,
4.2 identify, and where possible, control risks to other members of the healthcare/rescue team,
4.3 continually evaluate the effectiveness of practice in consultation with other health professionals,
4.4 take an active role with PHECC to guide the emerging profession,
4.5 be committed to co-operating, assisting and coaching of trainees and peers as appropriate. 

5.    Maintain confidentiality ​

Each PHECC registered practitioner shall: 

5.1    maintain strict professional confidentiality with all information acquired in the course of professional duties. Except where necessary to impart health/personal information in the course of duty/continuum of care and/or required by law.
5.2 manage with strict confidentiality all patient records, paper and electronic format
5.3 maintain strict confidentiality when conducting research.
  

Registration Declaration (Implementation 1 January 2018)

To: Registrar, Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC) 

I, the undersigned hereby apply for registration in the PHECC Register of Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Practitioners and for that purpose hereby formally declare and confirm that:- 

1. My performance as a healthcare practitioner has not been the subject of any adverse finding arising from an inquiry by any employer, healthcare regulatory or registration authority and there is no inquiry in being or contemplated against me or in relation to my performance in any country inside or outside the European Union.

2. I consent and authorise PHECC to make any enquiry or enquiries with anybody or person in pursuance of my application for registration as a pre-hospital emergency care practitioner.

3. I declare that;
  a. I am currently certified at Cardiac First Response - Advanced level and will maintain this certification for the    duration of my registration with PHECC,
  b. I am familiar with the current PHECC Clinical Practice Guidelines relevant to my registration status and provide a certificate of completion from:
    i. the PHECC CPG Familiarisation Module online or
    ii. a certificate from a PHECC licensed CPG service provider or a PHECC recognised institution confirming the applicant’s familiarisation with the current PHECC CPGs relevant to their registration status.
  c.  I will only practise in accordance with the CPG privilege issued to me by the licensed CPG service provider on whose behalf I am practising.
  d. I am competent in spoken and written English.
  e. I will comply with the Continuing Professional Competency (CPC) requirements associated with my status on the PHECC Register.
  f. I will comply with the current PHECC Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for pre-hospital emergency care practitioners.
  g. I will record all appropriate information in Patient Care Reports.
  h. I will co-operate with enquiries by the Fitness to Practise Committee, Health Committee or their sub-committees. 
  i. I will support interns and colleagues. 
  j. I am responsible for maintaining the currency of my contact details with PHECC.

4.  I affirm that I have no:

a.  criminal conviction or criminal proceedings pending against me other than those disclosed in my application for registration
  b. known health condition or addiction that could affect my fitness to practise as a pre-hospital emergency care practitioner other than conditions or addictions disclosed in my application for registration.

5. I am aware and agree that;
  a.  eligibility for registration is dependent on compliance with the rules governing the PHECC Register
  b. once granted, my registration must be renewed annually
  c. re-registration notifications will be sent by email
  d. registration applications will not be processed without payment of the appropriate registration fee in advance
  e. a fraudulent or inaccurate registration application may preclude me from joining the PHECC Register.

6. I know of no reason why the PHECC should not grant me registration.

7. All information submitted with this application is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge and belief.
 
Data Protection
By submitting this form you consent to PHECC holding and processing your personal data for the purpose of Professional Registration. In compliance with the Data Protection Acts 1988 & 2003, when PHECC is provided with personal data, we will hold the data, together with other information, securely and confidentially and process it for the purpose of maintaining a Professional Register and research. PHECC makes the following information available to the public on our website: Surname, Forename, PIN, registration status. PHECC may disclose the following information to PHECC licenced CPG service providers: Surname, Forename, Date of Birth, PIN, and registration status, original registration date, licence expiry date. We may also use the data you provide for communication purposes with you. PHECC make every effort to ensure your data is correct, however, if any of your data is incorrect or inaccurate please inform PHECC in writing (email acceptable). A copy of your data currently held by PHECC may be obtained upon written request to The Registration Officer, Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council, 2nd Floor, Beech House, Millennium Park, Osberstown, Naas, Co. Kildare, W91 TK7N.




Signature:  ______________________________________________________________   Date:  __________________________