Transfer & closure of HAC
The Government intends to close the Hearing Aid Council and transfer our responsibility to regulate hearing aid dispensers to another body: the Health Professions Council.
Under the plans, the Health Professions Council will take over regulation of hearing aid dispensers on 1 April 2010.
Until then, the Hearing Aid Council has legal duty to protect the public. If you are concerned about the conduct of a hearing aid dispenser or a dispensing company, please click here for more information about how we can help.
Frequently asked questions about the transfer
We have answered a collection of common questions we are asked about the transfer to HPC by consumers, registrants and students. We will update this frequently. To read the questions and answer please click here. If you have any more questions, please contact us.
Why is the Government closing the Hearing Aid Council?
Closing the Hearing Aid Council and transferring its powers to the Health Professions Council will improve public protection and lower the cost of regulation.
Public protection will improve because the Health Professions Council has more power than the Hearing Aid Council. For example, the Health Professions Council will be able to suspend dispensers who pose a serious risk to the public whereas the Hearing Aid Council cannot.
While public protection will increase, the cost of regulation will fall. The Health Professions Council already regulates over 200,000 people from 14 professions, including physiotherapists, paramedics and practitioner psychologists. The size and efficiency of the Health Professions Council means that annual registration fees will be around £74, saving the hearing aid industry over £1 million per year.
How can dispensers prepare for the transfer to the Health Professions Council?
The Health Professions Council will take over regulation of dispensers on 1 April 2010. From that date, it will likely be a criminal offence to dispense a hearing aid unless you are registered with the Health Professions Council.
All dispensers on the Hearing Aid Council register at the time of transfer will be moved automatically to the Health Professions Council. Once on the Health Professions Council register, dispensers will have to adhere to the Health Professions Council’s Standards.
The Health Professions Council’s Standards
The Health Professions Council has four sets of Standards all dispensers will have to meet. It is recommended that registrants take some time to review them standards, assess your practice against these requirements and make any changes that may necessary:
- Standards of Ethics, Performance and Conduct;
- Standards of Proficiency for Hearing Aid Dispensers;
- Standards of Continuing Professional Development; and
- Standards of Education and Training, for those involved in training and supervision as part of a foundation degree
Click on each set of Standards to read them.
The Hearing Aid Council introduced new Standards of Continuing Professional Development from April 2009 that match those used by the Health Professions Council.