Perspectives on a Common Code of Conduct for Health and Care Professionals

Our latest research report Perspectives on a Common Code of Conduct for Health and Care Professionals.

Could a common code contribute to reducing complexity?

This was the question we posed and commissioned this research to explore the potential benefits of a common code to help retain staff, support multi-disciplinary working, improve workplace culture, and ensure consistency in regulatory decision-making while reducing complexity in the system.

This exploratory qualitative research project was commissioned at the start of 2024 as part of a scoping exercise to explore perceptions, benefits and risks associated with a common code of conduct for health and care professionals. The research was conducted by Research Solutions with a report delivered on 26 April 2024.

The research explored the views of members of the public, registrants and wider stakeholders on introducing a common code and its likely benefits. The research found that, though there are advantages to having one code of conduct across health and care professions, it would not necessarily reduce complexity. There was also a risk that a common code would need to be diluted to cover so many and varied professions. This view was further reinforced by conversations with other stakeholders, including several of the regulators we oversee who expressed concerns about the practicalities around implementing a common code and, for some, a desire to recognise the differences between professions.

We have reviewed the report’s findings as well as the views stakeholders have shared with us and concluded that the work required to overcome these challenges would not be justified by the potential benefits of a common code.

Instead, we believe that similar benefits could be achieved through the judicious use of joint statements when and where relevant.