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Registering with the Health Practice Associates Council (HPAC) provides peace of mind to Associate Ambulance Practitioners and service users alike whether working for an NHS ambulance trust or private provider covering an event, increasing the transparency and recognition of this important health care role.
Associate Ambulance Practitioners (AAPs) respond in ambulances alongside either a registered paramedic or another suitably-qualified member of staff and deliver emergency and urgent care to a wide range of patient groups. An AAP can work towards a level 4 diploma via the awarding body FutureQuals and many students complete this while working within the NHS ambulance trusts that have chosen to offer this route.
AAPs routinely deal with a wide variety of life threatening and urgent calls from the public. This ranges from major trauma, chest pain, though to delivering babies. AAPs also administer medications and more recently, experienced AAPs have been employed in emergency departments and hospital wards, carrying out nursing roles such as cannulating, taking bloods and diagnostics along with other tasks.
This is why registration with HPAC is so important. It is the United Kingdom’s regulatory body for pre-hospital urgent and emergency clinical responders in non-statutory grades. Established as a regulator in 2014 it maintains stringent standards for the skills, conduct, and competence expected from professionals in health care settings. It provides AAPs with the ability to showcase their qualifications and professional development, creating and maintaining reflective practices in their online portfolios using HPAC templates.
It takes about three months to compile CPD evidence along with passing Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and reference checks to achieve registration and receive an ID card along with documentation in the post. The ID card can be scanned by health care providers to check DBS status and HPAC registration status.
All this for just £12 per month.. While registration is entirely voluntary, I urge all of my fellow AAPs to register as it provides employers with confidence that their staff are committed to the core standards expected .
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