IBMS welcomes Scottish healthcare science review
The IBMS welcomes the Scottish Government’s commission of a Professional Standards Authority assessment of healthcare science regulation and will engage constructively to ensure patient safety remains central.
The Institute of Biomedical Science welcomes the announcement that the Scottish Government has commissioned the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care to undertake a Right-touch assurance assessment of Healthcare Science in Scotland.
Healthcare science is central to safe, effective and high-quality patient care. The wider healthcare science workforce, biomedical scientists, clinical scientists and medical colleagues all play essential, interconnected roles in diagnostic and scientific services, and the public must be able to have confidence that these services are delivered by appropriately educated, trained, regulated and supported professionals.
The IBMS supports the review’s evidence-based approach and its focus on assessing whether current regulatory and employer controls provide sufficient assurance against the risk of harm. Regulation should never be seen as a barrier to service improvement. Done properly, it is a vital safeguard for patients, a foundation for professional standards and an enabler of safe innovation across the healthcare science workforce.
Any proposed changes to regulatory standards, professional boundaries or scope of practice must be based on robust evidence and must be demonstrably protective of patients. Meeting workforce pressures requires long-term workforce planning, investment in education and training, and sustainable career pathways. It must not come at the expense of regulatory standards or the professional safeguards that protect patients.
The IBMS also believes the review provides an important opportunity to consider whether additional professional groups, including anatomical pathology technologists and other specialist healthcare science roles, would benefit from formal regulation where this would strengthen patient safety, public confidence and service quality. It is also an opportunity to explore how advanced practice is recognised without adding to the regulatory burden
David Wells, Chief Executive of the Institute of Biomedical Science, said:
We welcome the Scottish Government’s decision to commission this important review and the Professional Standards Authority’s commitment to an evidence-based Right-touch assurance process. Regulation is fundamental to protecting patients, maintaining professional standards and ensuring the public can have confidence in diagnostic and scientific services.
Dr Sarah Pitt, President of the Institute of Biomedical Science, said:
The IBMS will engage constructively with this assessment and contribute evidence from across the biomedical science profession. This is an opportunity to strengthen assurance across healthcare science, support professional development and ensure that regulation keeps pace with modern diagnostic and scientific practice. Where roles are evolving, including advanced and specialist practice, the question should be how current regulation can be used to evidence and support safe, high-quality services for patients.
The IBMS looks forward to working with the Scottish Government, the Professional Standards Authority and stakeholders across healthcare science as the assessment progresses.