HCPC registration and professional standards for speech and language therapists

Find out more about ensuring you meet the standards of professional practice set out by the HCPC as a working SLT and how the RCSLT works hand in hand with HCPC

Last updated: February 2026

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RCSLT Guidance Info
The RCSLT develops guidance to promote good clinical and professional practice in line with HCPC standards. Please read our statement on guidance to understand how it is developed and how to use it.
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Introduction

 

The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) is the statutory regulator for 15 health and care professions including speech and language therapy, with the primary aim of protecting the public. It was established under The Health Professions Order 2001 and sets the legal requirements for speech and language therapists (SLTs) practising in the UK. To work as an SLT and use the protected title ‘speech and language therapist’, it is mandatory to be registered with the HCPC and adhere to its professional standards. These standards assess and regulate key areas of practice, including:

  • training and continuing professional development (CPD)
  • professional skills and knowledge
  • behaviour and ethical conduct
  • health and wellbeing.

 

This framework is outlined in two key documents:

  1. HCPC standards of conduct, performance and ethics
  2. HCPC standards of proficiency for speech and language therapists

These standards ensure that all registered SLTs maintain high levels of professional competence, ethical practice, and public trust throughout their careers.

Other HCPC key standards all SLTs are required to adhere to include:

  1. HCPC standards of continuing professional development
  2. HCPC standards of education and training

 

HCPC audit

The HCPC audit is a process that occurs every two years that ensures SLTs maintain the required standards of professional practice, including continuing professional development (CPD). Registrants are randomly selected for audit at the time of their HCPC renewal and must submit a CPD profile demonstrating how their learning activities have enhanced their practice and benefitted service users. The profile includes a summary of CPD activities, supporting evidence, and a statement reflecting on professional development. SLTs can use RCSLT CPD resources and guidance to prepare for the audit, ensuring compliance with HCPC requirements while maintaining high-quality, evidence-based practice. View our webinar on preparing for a personal HCPC audit and or review more guidance on the HCPC website.

To discuss registration, you can contact the HCPC registration department:

 

HCPC Registration renewal

Even if you are not selected for audit, you need to renew your registration every two years by making your professional declaration and paying a fee. All SLTs register during a specified time period on a 2 year cycle. Your declaration states that you are and continue to be fit to practise and meet all HCPC standards.

Student SLTs and HCPC standards

HCPC guidance plays a vital role in shaping the education and professional expectations of student speech and language therapists (SLTs). While students are not registered with the HCPC, their training is structured to prepare them to meet the HCPC’s Standards of Proficiency upon qualification. Education providers must ensure that their courses equip students with the necessary knowledge, skills and professional behaviours outlined by the HCPC. This includes fostering a strong understanding of ethical practice, communication, safeguarding and the importance of continuing professional development.

The RCSLT curriculum guidance is closely aligned with these HCPC Standards of Proficiency, providing a profession-specific framework that ensures consistency in the development of clinical competence. By mapping the RCSLT curriculum directly against the HCPC requirements, training providers support students in making the explicit connection between academic learning, clinical practice and professional regulation. Clinical placements are a key component in helping students apply these standards in real-world settings and develop the confidence and capability to work safely and effectively. This principle applies equally to traditional degree routes and to SLT apprenticeships, where work-based learning provides a rich environment for demonstrating how the HCPC standards underpin everyday practice.

By aligning programmes with HCPC expectations from the outset, and by embedding these standards through both the RCSLT curriculum and apprenticeship pathways, student SLTs are consistently prepared for safe, effective and reflective practice as newly qualified professionals.

HCPC and RCSLT

The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) standards and the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) guidance encourage high-quality, ethical, and evidence-based practice for SLTs in the UK. The HCPC’s primary focus is on the rights and safeguarding of service users, and it sets regulatory standards that all registered SLTs must meet, covering areas such as professional conduct, clinical skills, and continuing professional development. These legally enforceable standards ensure practitioners provide safe and competent care.

RCSLT has a scope of practice which sets out the activities and limits of the professional activity of speech and language therapy and speech and language therapists in the UK. In parallel, the RCSLT offers profession-specific guidance, including best practice frameworks, clinical resources and professional development opportunities that align with HCPC regulations. This overlap ensures that SLTs not only meet essential regulatory requirements, but also pursue excellence in their field.

 

Table.1: The individual roles and responsibilities of the HCPC and RCSLT and their shared roles and responsibilities

HCPC

Roles and responsibilities

Shared roles and responsibilities

RCSLT

Roles and responsibilities
  • Statutory regulatory body
  • Maintains register of qualified SLTs
  • Sets standards of proficiency
  • Oversees CPD requirements
  • Investigates fitness to practice concerns
  • Can impose sanctions or remove individuals from the register
  • Uphold code of conduct and ethical practice
  • Promote high standards in service delivery
  • Support public confidence in the profession
  • Professional body for SLTs
  • Offers clinical guidance and best practice standards
  • Provides CPD opportunities and resources
  • Advocates for the profession nationally
  • Supports research and evidence-based practice
  • Represents SLTs in policy and workforce planning

Further information regarding the difference between HCPC, the RCSLT and Trade Unions can be found in the Organisation Comparison Table (RCSLT 2025).

 

The shared focus areas of the RCSLT and the HCPC

 

Clinical competence and professional ethics

Both the HCPC standards and RCSLT guidance emphasise the importance of clinical competence and professional ethics in speech and language therapy. The HCPC requires SLTs to work within their scope of practice and apply evidence-based interventions while adhering to professional conduct rules to protect service users. The RCSLT provides more detailed guidance on how to implement these principles, including ethical decision-making frameworks, supervision recommendations, and case-based examples. Both organisations stress the importance of maintaining service users’ dignity, gaining informed consent, and ensuring culturally responsive care. By following both HCPC standards and RCSLT guidance, SLTs can deliver safe, effective, and ethically sound services.

 

Evidence-based practice

The HCPC mandates that SLTs provide care based on current research and best available evidence, ensuring interventions are effective and justified. The RCSLT supports this requirement by offering access to research updates, clinical guidance, and position papers that help SLTs stay informed about the latest developments in the field. Additionally, the RCSLT facilitates professional networks and clinical excellence networks where SLTs can collaborate and share best practice.

Central to this is the acknowledgement of the triad of evidence-based practice, which emphasises the integration of empirical and research evidence, practice-based evidence and professional expertise, alongside the experiences and perspectives of service users. This combined approach ensures that practitioners not only comply with HCPC regulations but also have the resources to continually improve their clinical decision-making in a person-centred and contextually relevant way.

By actively involving service users in shaping priorities, evaluating outcomes and sharing lived experiences, co-production ensures that their voices form a recognised strand of evidence in decision-making. This reflects both HCPC requirements for person-centred practice and the RCSLT curriculum’s emphasis on inclusive, collaborative approaches.

 

Safeguarding and service user rights

Safeguarding is a fundamental requirement under HCPC regulations, which obligates SLTs to protect service users from harm and act in their best interests. The RCSLT reinforces this by providing safeguarding guidance on recognising and responding to concerns. Both the RCSLT and HCPC emphasise the importance of confidentiality, respecting autonomy and promoting equitable access to services. This shared commitment ensures that SLTs uphold the highest standards in safeguarding and service user rights, reducing risks and improving outcomes for vulnerable populations.

 

Continuing professional development (CPD)

The HCPC requires all SLTs to engage in CPD to maintain their registration, ensuring they stay up to date with new knowledge, technologies and clinical approaches. The RCSLT plays a crucial role in supporting this by offering CPD resources such as online learning modules, workshops, mentoring schemes, supervision frameworks, and a member enquiries service.

RCSLT’s structured CPD opportunities align with HCPC’s requirements, making it easier for SLTs to demonstrate their ongoing competence. This partnership ensures that SLTs continue to develop their expertise, ultimately improving the quality of care they provide to service users. The RCSLT CPD Diary can be used to record and reflect on CPD activity and provide evidence for the HCPC audit supports SLTs to record CPD activity and provide evidence for the HCPC audit.

 

Equity, diversity, and belonging (EDB)

Both the HCPC standards and RCSLT guidance prioritise equity, diversity, and belonging (EDB) (sometimes known as equality, diversity and inclusion or EDI) to ensure that speech and language therapy services are accessible, fair, and responsive to the diverse needs of service users. The HCPC mandates that SLTs practise in a non-discriminatory manner, respect cultural differences, and uphold service users’ rights. The RCSLT expands on this by providing practical resources and advocacy to support inclusive practice. Our EDB strategy helps SLTs address health inequalities, use culturally competent approaches, and challenge systemic barriers within healthcare and education settings. By aligning with both HCPC regulations and RCSLT initiatives, SLTs can contribute to a profession that is equitable, inclusive, and reflective of the communities they serve.

Responsibility for policy development and compliance

 

All employers, including service leaders, managers, self-employed professionals, and sole practitioners, are responsible for developing and maintaining local policies aligned with national frameworks and legislation. For independent SLTs, this responsibility extends to ensuring that their own policies and procedures covering areas such as safeguarding, data protection, record keeping, consent, and clinical governance and that they are robust, evidence-based, and clearly documented.

 

Service-level responsibility

Heads of service and professional leads must ensure they and their staff understand how their organisation responds to national and regional legislation. This includes:

  • identifying which legislation is implemented through local policies and strategies, and how this is achieved
  • recognising any gaps in compliance
  • determining actions to achieve compliance
  • understanding the organisation’s required response.

Service leads should view legislation as a tool for driving service improvements, ensuring alignment with national and regional policies. For instance, the Race Relations (Amendment) Act places a duty on organisations to promote race equality. This provides a legal framework for developing business cases to enhance speech and language therapy services, ensuring they meet the linguistic, cultural, and religious needs of Black, Asian and all minoritised communities.

Service managers must ensure that their policies comply with legislative requirements. They should identify key individuals within their organisation to support this process and highlight any policy gaps caused by organisational or service limitations. These issues should be raised with senior management through appropriate channels to ensure accountability and commitment to service improvements.

Accountability

Accountability in speech and language therapy is multi-faceted, encompassing professional, contractual, and societal responsibilities. The following information outlines the key aspects of accountability, detailing obligations, monitoring processes and enforcement mechanisms.

 

Contractual accountability

  • Accountable to: Employer/contractor of service (organisation or individual).
  • Responsibilities: Ensuring efficiency, effectiveness, and the safety and wellbeing of individuals.
  • Requirements: Compliance with employment law, contracts of employment, local practice standards, national service frameworks (NSF), and service level agreements.
  • Monitoring and assurance: Individual performance reviews (IPR), supervision, peer reviews, audits, reporting systems, and outcome measures.
  • Enforcement: Civil courts and industrial tribunals.

Independent SLTs: For sole practitioners or small independent providers, contractual accountability relates directly to the contracts agreed with commissioners, schools, case managers, or private clients. These contracts must clearly set out the scope of service, responsibilities, and terms of engagement. Independent SLTs are also responsible for ensuring their own insurance, safeguarding procedures, and governance frameworks are in place to meet contractual obligations.

 

Professional accountability

  • Accountable to: Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and the professional conduct committee.
  • Responsibilities: Delivering safe and effective services while upholding professional and ethical standards.
  • Requirements: Adherence to HCPC standards of conduct, proficiency, and continuing professional development (CPD), ethical research guidelines, and duty of care.
  • Monitoring and assurance: HCPC registration, RCSLT CPD processes, IPR, supervision, peer reviews, individual feedback, and outcome measures.
  • Enforcement: HCPC regulatory mechanisms.

Independent SLTs: Independent SLTs must establish their own systems for supervision, peer review, CPD tracking, and reflective practice to evidence compliance with HCPC standards. They are also expected to maintain accurate clinical records, safeguarding logs, and evidence of outcome measurement.

 

Societal accountability

  • Accountable to: The public and legal system.
  • Responsibilities: Ensuring public safety and wellbeing through ethical and lawful practice.
  • Requirements: Adherence to criminal and civil law, duty of care, and safeguarding responsibilities.
  • Monitoring and assurance: Individual reports, peer reviews, and supervision.
  • Enforcement: Criminal and civil courts.

Independent SLTs: As autonomous practitioners, independent SLTs carry direct societal accountability for their practice. This includes ensuring compliance with safeguarding legislation, GDPR and data protection requirements, equality and diversity legislation, and all other relevant national and local legal frameworks. They must also have robust complaints procedures in place and be prepared to demonstrate transparency and accountability to clients, families, commissioners, and regulators.

Service leaders, managers, and practitioners, including independent practitioners, must actively engage in maintaining accountability at all levels. This includes staying informed about legal and regulatory changes, implementing best practice, and ensuring that services remain compliant with national and professional standards. When gaps or challenges arise, they should be addressed through appropriate organisational channels, in the case of independent practitioners, through professional networks, peer supervision, and consultation with regulators, to ensure continuous service improvement.

Meeting HCPC Standards: A practical resource guide for SLTs

Further information on specific HCPC guidance, RCSLT resources, and other external materials that can support SLTs in meeting the HCPC Standards of Proficiency is outlined in the tables in this section. This information is intended to provide examples of the support available and does not represent an exhaustive list. Additional resources may be found on the RCSLT guidance pages, within the RCSLT professional development scenarios, on the HCPC website, and in both national and local guidance.

 

Practise safely and effectively within their scope of practice

Overview of standard: SLTs must work within their professional competencies, ensuring they have the necessary skills and knowledge for safe and effective practice. They should seek supervision or refer cases outside their expertise to appropriate professionals, prioritising patient safety at all times.

HCPC guidance
RCSLT guidance
RCSLT professional development scenario
Other external guidance

Look after their health and wellbeing, seeking appropriate support where necessary

Overview of standard: It is essential for SLTs to sustain their physical and mental wellbeing to provide safe and effective care. They must engage in continuing self-reflection on emotional wellbeing and its impact on practice, seek support when needed, and be aware of any factors that may impact their ability to practise competently.

HCPC guidance
RCSLT guidance
RCSLT professional development scenario
  Other external guidance

 

Practise as an autonomous professional, exercising their own professional judgement

Overview of standard: SLTs are responsible for making independent clinical decisions based on their professional expertise and evidence-based practice. They should be confident in their assessments, adapt interventions as needed, and be accountable for their actions while collaborating with colleagues when necessary.

 

HCPC guidance
RCSLT guidance
RCSLT professional development scenario
Other external guidance

 

Recognise the impact of culture, equality and diversity on practice and practise in a non-discriminatory and inclusive manner

Overview of standard: SLTs must recognise and respect the diverse backgrounds of service users, ensuring culturally sensitive and inclusive care. They should adapt their communication, assessment methods, and interventions to meet the needs of individuals from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

HCPC guidance
RCSLT guidance
RCSLT professional development scenario
Other external guidance

 

Understand the importance of and maintain confidentiality

Overview of standard: SLTs must understand the limits of confidentiality, principles of information governance, and recognise situations where sharing information is necessary to safeguard service users or the public.

HCPC guidance
RCSLT guidance
RCSLT professional development scenario
Other external guidance

 

 

Communicate effectively

Overview of standard: Effective communication is essential for SLTs, who must demonstrate appropriate verbal and non-verbal skills, adapt communication methods to suit service users’ needs, and ensure they meet the required English language proficiency standards.

HCPC guidance
RCSLT guidance
RCSLT professional development scenario
Other external guidance

 

 

Maintain records appropriately

Overview of standard: Accurate and secure record-keeping is crucial. SLTs must ensure records are comprehensive, stored securely, and comply with data protection and confidentiality requirements.

HCPC guidance
RCSLT guidance
RCSLT professional development scenario
Other external guidance

 

Reflect on and review practice

Overview of standard: Continuous self-reflection and seeking feedback are vital for SLTs to improve their practice, identify learning needs, and enhance their professional development.

HCPC guidance
RCSLT guidance
RCSLT professional development scenario
Other external guidance

 

Assure the quality of their practice

Overview of standard: SLTs should engage in quality assurance processes and clinical governance, participate in audits, adhere to best practice guidelines and commit to continuous improvement to maintain high standards of care.

HCPC guidance
RCSLT guidance
RCSLT professional development scenario
Other external guidance

Understand and apply the key concepts of the knowledge base relevant to their profession

Overview of standard: A speech and language therapist (SLT) in the UK should have a strong foundation in the core principles of speech, language, and communication science, as well as related fields such as linguistics, psychology, and anatomy. They should ensure their practice aligns with current guidance and best practice in speech and language therapy.

HCPC guidance
RCSLT guidance
RCSLT professional development scenario
Other external guidance

 

Draw on appropriate knowledge and skills to inform practice

Overview of standard: SLTs must integrate their knowledge and skills to critically assess, diagnose, and manage communication and swallowing disorders, employing evidence-based approaches and adaptations to intervention tailored to individual needs.

HCPC guidance
RCSLT guidance
RCSLT professional development scenario
Other external guidance

Establish and maintain a safe practice environment

Overview of standard: SLTs must establish and maintain a safe practice environment by understanding and adhering to health and safety legislation, identifying and managing risks, implementing effective hazard control measures and upholding strict infection prevention protocols. This ensures the safety and wellbeing of both service users and practitioners in all clinical and professional settings.

HCPC guidance
RCSLT guidance
RCSLT professional development scenario
Other external guidance

Promote health and prevent ill health

Overview of standard: SLTs can promote health and prevent ill health by providing early intervention, education, and preventative strategies to support communication and swallowing needs, reducing the risk of long-term complications. They can also collaborate with other healthcare professionals, families, and educators to raise awareness of speech, language, and swallowing disorders, ensuring timely access to support and promoting overall wellbeing.

HCPC guidance
RCSLT guidance
RCSLT professional development scenario
Other external guidance

Reflection question

How do you ensure that your practice aligns with HCPC standards and RCSLT guidance? What do you do to demonstrate this alignment in day-to-day clinical decision-making or through continuing professional development (CPD)?

What skills, tools or experience do you need to develop to meet these standards?

How can you evidence meeting the standards?

Contributors

 

Lead Author

  • Paula Walker, Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

 

Supporting Authors

  • Jo Bradburn, Deputy Director of Allied Health Professions and Speech and Language Therapist
  • Natacha Capener, Lecturer and Speech and Language Therapist
  • Nicola Holmes, Chair of ASLTIP
  • Wing yee Lam, Practice Development Speech and Language Therapist
  • Maria Luscombe FRSCLT
  • James Martin, Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist (Head & Neck)
  • Katie Masters, Specialist Speech and Language Therapist
  • Claire Matheson, Service Lead Adult Learning Disability
  • Rosalind Gray Rogers, Programme Director for Speech and Language Therapy
  • Jo Taylor, Speech and Language Therapist