HCPC Registration: What It Means and How to Check an OT

HCPC registration means an occupational therapist is on the official register kept by the Health and Care Professions Council, the UK regulator for occupational therapists and a group of other health and care professions. In the UK, "occupational therapist" is a protected title. Nobody can legally call themselves one unless they are on that register. If someone presents themselves as an occupational therapist to offer their services and they are not registered, they may be committing an offence.

Checking takes a couple of minutes. Go to the HCPC website, choose Check the register, pick Occupational therapist as the profession, and search by surname or registration number. Occupational therapists have registration numbers that begin with the letters OT. If the person appears as registered, they have met the regulator's standards to practise. If they do not appear, ask them why before you go any further.

The rest of this page explains what registration does and does not tell you, what the standards involve, how renewal and CPD audits work, and how to raise a concern. There is also a section for occupational therapists who want a plain reminder of what keeping registration involves.

What the HCPC is

The Health and Care Professions Council is an independent regulator set up by law. It covers the whole of the UK, so the same register applies whether your therapist works in Cornwall, Cardiff, Belfast or Inverness. As well as occupational therapists, it regulates professions such as physiotherapists, paramedics, speech and language therapists, dietitians and podiatrists.

Its job is to protect the public, not to promote the professions. It does four main things:

• Sets the standards professionals must meet.
• Approves the university courses that qualify people to join the register.
• Keeps the register and makes it public.
• Investigates concerns about a registered professional's fitness to practise, and can restrict or remove their registration.

It is worth knowing what it is not. The HCPC is not a trade body, it does not recommend individual therapists, and it does not handle disputes about money or customer service. The professional body for occupational therapists is the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, which is a separate organisation. Membership of the Royal College is voluntary. Registration with the HCPC is not.

Why the protected title matters

Plenty of people offer help with equipment, home adaptations, children's sensory needs or getting back to work. Some are excellent. But only people on the HCPC register can call themselves occupational therapists, and that means only they have been through an approved qualification and agreed to be held to the regulator's standards.

Watch the wording carefully. Titles such as therapy assistant, occupational therapy support worker, rehabilitation assistant, trusted assessor, sensory practitioner or wellbeing coach are not protected. People using them may be well trained and do valuable work, often under the supervision of a registered therapist, but they are not regulated by the HCPC in the same way. If what you need is an occupational therapy assessment, for example a report to support a functional assessment or a grant application, you generally want a registered occupational therapist doing it and signing it.

How to check the HCPC register, step by step

1. Go to the HCPC website and find Check the register. It is free and you do not need an account.
2. Choose the profession. Select Occupational therapist so you are not wading through every profession at once.
3. Search by registration number if you have it. This is the quickest and most reliable way, because it identifies one person. Numbers for occupational therapists start with OT.
4. If you only have a name, search by surname. You can usually narrow the results by location. Common surnames can bring up several people, so check the town and any other details against what you have been told.
5. Read the entry. You are looking for the person's name, their profession, their registration number and their registration status.

A registered occupational therapist should be happy to give you their number. Many put it on their website, emails and reports. If someone is vague, reluctant or offers a number that does not match their name, treat that as a reason to pause.

What the different results mean

• Registered. They are currently allowed to practise and use the title.
• Registered with conditions, or with a caution. They can practise, but the regulator has taken action following a concern. The entry should give some information. Conditions might limit what they can do or require supervision.
• Suspended. They cannot practise as an occupational therapist while the suspension lasts.
• Not on the register, or lapsed. They should not be calling themselves an occupational therapist. Registration can lapse for ordinary reasons, such as retirement, a career break or not renewing on time, so this is not automatically sinister. But a lapsed therapist cannot practise under that title until they are back on.

If you cannot find someone and you think there may be a mistake, for example a name change after marriage, ask them for their number and search again. You can also contact the HCPC directly.

What registration tells you, and what it does not

Registration is a floor, not a recommendation. It is worth being clear about both sides.

What it does tell you

• They completed an approved qualification, or had overseas training assessed as meeting UK standards.
• They have declared that they meet the standards of proficiency and the standards of conduct, performance and ethics.
• They have declared that they keep their skills up to date through continuing professional development.
• They are required to have appropriate professional indemnity arrangements in place, either through an employer, a professional body or their own insurance.
• They can be held to account. If something goes seriously wrong, there is a regulator you can go to.

What it does not tell you

• Their specialism. The register does not say whether someone works mainly with children, adults after a stroke, people with dementia, hand injuries or workplace assessments. An occupational therapist who is brilliant at home assessments for older people may never have assessed a child's handwriting.
• How much experience they have in the area you need help with.
• Whether they are good with people, write clear reports or turn up on time.
• Their background checks. The register is not a criminal record check. If your therapist will be working with children or vulnerable adults, it is reasonable to ask about their DBS check (or the equivalent in Scotland or Northern Ireland).
• Their prices, waiting times or terms. The regulator plays no part in that.

So check the register first, then ask the questions the register cannot answer. Our guide on how to choose a private occupational therapist has a list of sensible ones, and what happens in a private OT assessment explains what a good visit should look like.

The standards occupational therapists must meet

The HCPC publishes several sets of standards. You do not need to read them all, but it helps to know they exist.

• Standards of proficiency. These are specific to each profession and set out what an occupational therapist must know, understand and be able to do safely and effectively.
• Standards of conduct, performance and ethics. These apply to every registered professional. In plain terms: act in people's best interests, respect confidentiality, communicate properly, get consent, work within your competence, be honest, keep proper records and report concerns about safety.
• Standards of continuing professional development. Registrants must keep a record of their learning and show that it improves their practice and benefits the people they work with.

"Work within your competence" is the one most relevant to private home visits. A registered occupational therapist should tell you if your situation is outside what they can safely assess and point you to someone better placed, whether that is another occupational therapist, a physiotherapist, a speech and language therapist or your GP.

Renewal and CPD audits in plain terms

Registration is not a one-off. Occupational therapists renew their registration every two years. At renewal they confirm that they still meet the standards, that they have kept up their CPD and that nothing has changed which affects their fitness to practise. If they do not renew, their registration lapses and they must stop using the title.

At each renewal, the HCPC selects a random sample of registrants in each profession for a CPD audit. Those chosen have to submit a profile showing what learning they have done and how it has improved their work. Failing to meet the CPD standards can ultimately lead to removal from the register.

The HCPC sets the exact renewal windows and audit process, and they can change. Anyone who needs the current details should check the HCPC website rather than rely on a summary.

Raising a concern about an occupational therapist

If you are worried about a registered occupational therapist, you can raise a concern with the HCPC through its website. The HCPC looks at whether a professional's fitness to practise is impaired. That usually means serious issues such as:

• Misconduct, for example dishonesty, inappropriate behaviour or breaching confidentiality.
• A lack of competence that puts people at risk.
• A health condition affecting their ability to practise safely, which they are not managing.
• Certain criminal convictions or cautions.

Some things are better sorted elsewhere first. If you are unhappy with a report, a delay or a bill, speak to the therapist directly, then use their complaints process if they have one. NHS therapists can be raised through the NHS complaints route for the service they work in. The HCPC cannot order refunds or settle contractual disputes.

If someone is using the title occupational therapist and is not on the register at all, you can report that to the HCPC too, because it is an offence.

If you believe someone is in immediate danger, call 999. If you are worried an adult is being abused or neglected, contact your council's adult social care safeguarding team. For a child, contact your council's children's services or the police.

For occupational therapists: keeping your registration in good order

If you are a qualified occupational therapist reading this, none of it will be news, but a short checklist does no harm.

• Keep your contact details current on your HCPC online account, so renewal reminders and audit notices reach you.
• Renew on time. Practising after your registration has lapsed, even briefly, means you are not entitled to use the title during that period. That can cause real trouble with employers, insurers and clients.
• Keep your CPD record going all the time, not in a panic when audit letters go out. Note what you did, what you learned and how it changed your practice.
• Make sure your indemnity covers what you actually do. If you move from employed NHS work into private home visits, check your cover reflects that.
• Tell the HCPC promptly about anything you are required to declare, such as certain convictions or cautions, or a change that affects your ability to practise safely. The HCPC's guidance sets out what counts.
• Show your registration number on your website, reports and correspondence. It reassures people and saves them asking.
• Stay within your scope. Private practice can bring requests outside your experience. Saying "this is not my area, here is who can help" is a standards requirement, not a weakness.

Occupational therapists who trained outside the UK apply through the HCPC's international route, where their qualification and experience are assessed against the UK standards of proficiency, and they usually need to show English language proficiency; the HCPC website explains the current process.

Where an occupational therapist fits

Once you know someone is properly registered, it helps to know what they are for. An occupational therapist looks at the everyday things you need or want to do, such as washing, dressing, cooking, getting in and out of bed, working, studying or playing, and works out what is getting in the way and what would help. That might be equipment, a different way of doing a task, changes to the home or advice for carers. Our plain guide to what occupational therapy is goes into more detail.

An occupational therapist is not the right first port of call for everything. New or worsening pain, sudden weakness, breathlessness or confusion need your GP, NHS 111, or 999 if it is an emergency. Exercise programmes for recovery after surgery are often led by a physiotherapist. Swallowing and speech problems belong with a speech and language therapist. Whichever professional you see, the same principle applies: if their title is protected, check the right register.

Frequently asked questions

Is HCPC registration the same as being a member of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists?

No. HCPC registration is a legal requirement to practise and use the title occupational therapist. Royal College membership is voluntary and gives access to professional support, guidance and specialist networks. Many therapists have both, but only HCPC registration is compulsory.

Do NHS occupational therapists have to be HCPC registered?

Yes. Anyone working as an occupational therapist, whether in the NHS, a council, a charity, a school or private practice, must be on the HCPC register. The protected title applies wherever they work.

Can I check the register without the therapist knowing?

Yes. The register is public and free to search, and the therapist is not told that you have looked. Checking is normal and sensible, and a good therapist will not mind in the slightest.

What if the therapist's registration number does not appear?

Check you have typed it correctly and selected the right profession. Then ask the therapist. There may be a simple explanation, such as a name change, but if they are not on the register they should not be practising as an occupational therapist. You can contact the HCPC if you are unsure.

Are occupational therapy assistants on the HCPC register?

No. Support workers and assistants are not regulated by the HCPC. They often do skilled work under the direction of a registered occupational therapist, but they cannot call themselves occupational therapists, and formal assessments and reports should normally be overseen or completed by a registered therapist.

Does registration mean the therapist is right for my situation?

Not on its own. It confirms they are qualified and accountable, but not that they have experience with your particular need, such as children's sensory difficulties or rehousing assessments. Ask about their experience in your area before you book.

Next steps

Every occupational therapist listed in our directory should have a registration number you can check on the HCPC register. To find one, see our home assessment or functional assessments and reports pages, or current guide prices, and choose your area below.