04 December 2023
The Government is proposing a new approach to registering health and social care professionals in Jersey, in order to:
- standardise the local registration process
- make it fair for all professional groups
- bring Jersey in line with international standards by assuring Islanders that all health and social care professionals on the Island are suitably qualified to practise
Under the proposals, all professional groups will have to register with the Jersey Care Commission in addition to a relevant UK regulatory body (such as the General Medical Council) from 2026. The Commission would maintain up-to-date public registers of all care professionals practising locally, including the qualifications they hold.
To maintain the accuracy of the registers and cover associated administrative costs, it is proposed that all professionals would be required to renew their registration with the Commission annually for a fixed nominal fee. The suggested fees are based on those most recently set for a professional group - £59.21 to register, £59.21 to renew.
There are currently inconsistencies in registration requirements between professional groups. While most care professions register with the Jersey Care Commission (the only independent care regulator on the Island), some are currently required to register with the Judicial Greffe or the Chief Pharmacist.
Some professions are obliged to renew their registration annually for a fee, while others do not have to renew their registration. This means that there is no single, up-to-date record of who is practising in Jersey or the qualifications they hold, which makes it difficult to ensure professionals are appropriately qualified and their practise is effectively regulated.
Under the new proposals, local health and social care employers would have a duty to ensure that relevant employees are actively registered with the Commission in order to practise in Jersey. Professionals already registered with the Commission, the Judicial Greffe or the Chief Pharmacist would be automatically transferred to a new register held by the Commission, while training standards and fitness-to-practise issues would continue to be managed by relevant UK regulatory bodies (alongside responsible officers, where applicable).
The Government wants to hear professionals' and employers' thoughts on these proposals. You can give feedback by completing a short survey or contacting careregulation@gov.je.
The consultation is open until 26th February 2024.
gov.je