The Register ensures that all practitioners comply with their Declaration of Compliance, the Ethical Basis of Best Practice and defined Professional Standards.
It is important to note that this Sanctions Policy applies to all practitioners on the Register and as such the same must also be fully aware of the contents of this policy and the possible sanctions application as there is the possibility of a sanctions application against them.
This policy ensures the defined ethics and standards of the Register are maintained by those on the Register.
Sanctions are actions that can be applied to an individual who act in such a way as to contravene of the conditions of membership, act in such a way that is contrary to public interest, and/or threaten the integrity of the Register.
The decision to apply sanctions will made by the PCRC.
The Register has a range of sanctions that can be imposed on individual depend on the seriousness of the situation, the level and track-record of non-compliance and the risk to the interests of for example service users or clients.
If sanctions are required then they will be applied depending on the nature of the situation. The following non-exhaustive list identifies examples for recommending and imposing sanctions if the individuals on the Register has:
The purpose of applying sanctions is to:
Sanctions that may be imposed:
Should a practitioner be found to have committed malpractice then the following sanctions may be imposed on them by the PCRC in accordance with the arrangements outlined in the Malpractice and Maladministration Policy and may be communicated to the same by the Register, in line with the following:
Please note that any additional site visits to either an individual or organisational member of the Register shall be at their expense. All fees paid are non-refundable. For more information please see the Register’s Fees and Costs Policy.
The length of time any of the above sanctions will be imposed will depend on the situation that warranted their introduction.
The PCRC shall be responsible for regularly reviewing the application and maintenance of sanctions to ensure they continue to be appropriate, consistent and proportionate to the incident(s) and risk of future incidents occurring.
The Register reserves its right to withdraw / remove an individual pursuant to the applicable Terms & Conditions, and applicable policies and procedures, including this Sanctions Policy) suspend membership with any individual that fails to meet, inter alia, its payment terms, or is deemed a financial risk. Ultimately any agreement between the same shall be terminated (including where applicable the Terms and Conditions).
An individual must inform the Register of any intention to withdraw their membership.
Specifically individuals with such intentions must ensure that Service Users are not disadvantaged through such a decision and are supported in finding an alternative service provider. Importantly, withdrawing individuals must remove any reference to the Register or Athena Herd Foundation and the use of any applicable logos from its websites and literature, including publicity and delivery materials (please see the Athena Herd Foundation Brand Protection Policy, the applicable Terms and Conditions including policies and procedures).
Action will be taken against any individual displaying a Register logo which has not been approved by the Register which may also include reporting the same to the PSA.
The Professional Conduct Review Committee (PCRC) is responsible for reviewing any complaints raised by service users or clients in respect of services provided by individual registrants on the Accredited Practitioner Registerâ„¢.
Any upheld complaints and subsequently agreed sanctions will be published on the Athena Herd Foundation website on the Professional Conduct Notices page. Conditions of publication are defined with the Professional Conduct Review Committee terms of reference and the Professional Conduct Publication Policy.
The Register will immediately inform the Professional Standards Authority and or any other accredited register where required in relation to any such breaches.
In cases where the Register is informed of sanctions imposed by, for example, a regulator or another accredited register, the Register will take appropriate action to check current activity, its quality assurance performance to date, undertake a Risk Assessment based on the information provided, and where appropriate, make arrangements to increase the Register’ monitoring processes.
Individuals have the right to appeal against any sanction which has been imposed. Appeals received by the Register will be acknowledged within 5 working days. Full details can be found in the Appeals Policy.
An annual report on any cases of sanctions being applied, including those that have been withdrawn, will be made available to the Register’s Advisory Board. The Advisory Board will review the policy annually as part of its self-evaluation arrangements and revise it as and when necessary in response to individual and learner feedback, changes in its practices, advice from the regulatory authorities or external agencies, changes in legislation, or trends identified from previous instances of malpractice or maladministration.
This document is linked to the following policies and procedures:
Version | Initials | Description | Version Date |
---|---|---|---|
1 | JG | Initial Draft | December 2021 |
2 | GG | Initial amendments to cover requirements of accredited practitioner register | November 2022 |
3 | GG | Update to provide specific detail to support sanctions applicable to registrants | 17/02/2023 |