HCPC Record-Keeping: A UK Allied Health Professional's Guide (2026)
A UK allied health professional's guide to HCPC record-keeping — Standard 10 requirements, CPD audit rules, patient records, and retention by profession.
Quick answer: The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) regulates 15 allied health professions covering 300,000+ UK professionals. Record-keeping is governed by Standard 10 of the Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics: records must be full, accurate, legible, dated, and signed. Every two years, 2.5% of registrants are audited against the CPD standards. Miss the audit evidence and you're removed from the register.
HCPC-regulated professionals work across the NHS, local authorities, charities, and private practice. Record-keeping standards apply equally across all settings — a physio in private practice is held to the same bar as one in an NHS community trust. The records you keep are your primary defence in any complaint, fitness-to-practise investigation, or claim.
Who the HCPC regulates
Fifteen distinct professions: arts therapists, biomedical scientists, chiropodists and podiatrists, clinical scientists, dietitians, hearing aid dispensers, occupational therapists, operating department practitioners, orthoptists, paramedics, physiotherapists, practitioner psychologists, prosthetists and orthotists, radiographers, and speech and language therapists. Social workers in England transferred to Social Work England in 2019.
Standard 10 — the core duty
The Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics require registrants to keep full, clear, accurate records for everyone they care for; complete records promptly; and keep records secure from loss, damage, or inappropriate access.
What counts as a record
Everything generated in the course of practice: clinical assessments, intervention plans, session notes, consent forms, letters, emails, referral letters, imaging reports, test results, care plans, incident reports. Text messages about care are records too — and most registrants don't realise they're discoverable at fitness-to-practise hearings.
CPD audit — the 2-year cycle
Registration renews every two years. At each renewal window, HCPC audits 2.5% of registrants. If selected, you have 28 days to submit a full CPD profile: a personal statement, a summary of CPD activity, and evidence mapped to the five CPD standards (continuous, benefits service users, mix of activities, upon request, meets all standards).
Patient record retention
Retention periods are set by employer and applicable regulation. NHS Records Management Code 2021 minimums: adult records 8 years after last contact; paediatric records until the patient's 25th birthday; mental health records 20 years; maternity 25 years; deceased 8 years. Private practitioners commonly align with these NHS periods.
Confidentiality and GDPR
Records contain special category personal data (health data). Registrants must satisfy both GDPR and the Common Law Duty of Confidentiality: lockable storage, encrypted storage for digital, access controls, audit trails, and a lawful basis for every disclosure.
The digital shift
NHS records have moved largely to electronic records (EMIS, TPP SystmOne, Rio, Oasis). Private practice uses Cliniko, Jane App, WriteUpp, PPS. Digital records carry a higher standard — backed up, tamper-evident, exportable for SAR.
Notes from the fitness-to-practise frontline
Most HCPC cases involving record-keeping turn on entries made significantly after the event, retrospective alteration without audit, missing signatures and dates, abbreviations that obscure meaning, and records that contradict other evidence.
Specific considerations
- Paramedics: patient report forms and NHS Ambulance Service records — strict handover and retention
- Physiotherapists: consent for hands-on intervention must be documented; treatment plans and goal-setting audit-visible
- Psychologists: session notes, summaries, contracting documents, testing protocols
- Radiographers: dose records (IR(ME)R 2017) alongside clinical records
- Dietitians and SLTs: care plans with measurable goals and review dates
Common mistakes
- Writing notes days after the session — timeliness is a Standard 10 requirement
- Abbreviations that patients and other clinicians can't decode
- Recording only facts, not clinical reasoning
- Not retaining patient-facing correspondence as records
- Private practitioners using consumer cloud storage (Dropbox, iCloud) for health records — likely not GDPR-compliant
FAQs
Can I amend a record after the fact?
Yes, but the amendment must be dated, signed, and the original entry must remain visible (strike-through, not obliteration). Digital systems should record an audit trail automatically.
Does HCPC require a specific CPD credit count?
No. HCPC sets qualitative standards. Professional bodies (CSP, RCOT) suggest credit hours, but HCPC audits against broader standards.
What if my employer's records system is inadequate?
You must raise the concern internally and, if unresolved, may be required to raise with HCPC. "Shadow notes" to cover system gaps can create GDPR problems.
How does HCPC interact with Royal College standards?
Royal Colleges set professional standards. HCPC is the statutory regulator — HCPC outcomes affect your licence; Royal College outcomes affect membership and credentials.
Related guides
Sources and further reading
- HCPC: Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics
- HCPC: CPD
- NHS Records Management Code of Practice 2021
Last reviewed 2026-04-22 by Jamie Dawson, Editor. Corrections: corrections@logbook.co.uk
