As paramedics become increasingly part of community urgent treatment services, with either GP practices directly employing paramedics or community projects which see paramedics working alongside GPs for home visits, GPs need to be aware of the changes to the entry requirements for paramedics that are set to take place.
To practice as a paramedic, currently you must be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). To register with the HCPC, individuals must have first successfully completed an approved qualification in Paramedic Science.
The College of Paramedics have supported the view that the threshold level for paramedic entry to the Register should be raised to a degree. Support has strengthened for this position over the last decade as the average workload of a paramedic has involved increasing proportions of urgent and unscheduled care for which complex decisions have to be made independently by the paramedics.
On 1 March this year, proposed changes to the threshold qualification were presented to the HCPC's Education and Training Committee for approval. Following this, the Committee set out its recommendations to the Council and on the 21 March, the HCPC Council agreed that the threshold for entry to the Register be raised to "Bachelor degree with honours". In their statement, they noted that "this is necessary to deliver the Standards of proficiency for paramedics to the depth required for contemporary practice". These changes will be phased in over the next 2 years with 1 September 2021 being the cut-off date for entry through non-degree routes.
The HCPC have been clear in their advice that this will not affect any paramedics who are currently registered and stated that "this change is about the level of education and training for entry to the profession going forward - it is in no way any criticism of the essential contribution the existing workforce makes (and will continue to make) to patient care."
The College of Paramedics have also praised the work of paramedics who are non-degree qualified and have stated that "it is these clinicians who have cemented the paramedic profession's place as equal to other healthcare professions… and have enabled landmark achievements such as paramedic prescribing."
Further information on the changes can be found on the HCPC website.