Updated good professional practice guidance published

The IBMS has published an updated version of its Good Professional Practice Guidance to incorporate the latest Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics.

The HCPC introduced updated standards in September 2024. These set out the expectations for registrants’ professional behaviour, how the public can expect to be treated, and the framework for decision-making when concerns are raised about registrants’ practice.

The IBMS guidance has been revised by the Education and Professional Standards Committee, with significant contributions from Council members Victoria Bradley and Daniel Kearns, to incorporate the updated wording and expanded areas included in the HCPC standards.

Key updates include greater emphasis on managing personal values and biases to avoid discrimination, clearer requirements on maintaining professional boundaries, strengthened expectations around communication and social media use, and new provisions on health, risk management and openness when things go wrong.

You can read the updated Good Professional Practice guidance here: https://www.ibms.org/resource/ibms-good-professional-practice-in-biomedical-science.html

For a summary of the changes to the HCPC standards, visit the HCPC website: https://www.hcpc-uk.org/what-is-changing/