Return to practice

Qualified practitioner psychologists have been encouraged to re-join the profession and Health and Care Professions Council register through Health Education England's Return to Practice Programme, in collaboration with the BPS. The programme supports those who have not been on the HCPC register for more than two years. It helps them find supervised practice placements, provides expenses up to £800, and shares resources and platforms for peer support. 

Natasha Pisarski, Health Education England's Return to Practice (RTP) Programme Lead for the HCPC register, said since the programme started in 2017 more than 800 people had returned to professions covered by the HCPC register, including 17 practitioner psychologists. 'Returners do not need to take exams or retrain – they are qualified in their profession. It is often about regaining confidence and updating their knowledge and skills… RTP is about gaining re-registration to use their protected title. Return to practice requirements are flexible and allow professionals to update their knowledge and skills through a self-directed process. A returner can decide how to complete their period of updating in a way that best suits their personal circumstances, be that through supervised practice, private studies or formal studies. The timescale to complete the return to practice process is currently 24 months.' 

Dr Katherine Peter qualified as a Clinical Psychologist in 2007, took a break in 2015 and returned to practice in 2021. She said: 'With small children I really felt I needed some time focusing just on them. It was five years later that I looked into getting back on the HCPC register. As part of the process I contacted the last Trust I had worked for. The Trust were flexible and supported me to do two days per week on a voluntary basis to ease me back into the world of work, enabling me to prove to myself that I can juggle both work and homelife. My manager encouraged e to apply for a Band 7 job vacancy…I got the job, with my notification of being back on the HCPC register coming the weekend before I started my new role! The best thing about returning to practice has been the realisation that I can strike a balance between work and homelife that works for me.'

Pisarski said organisations can reap many benefits from encouraging professionals to return to practice, and should take a flexible approach to help people do so. 'Some ways to do this might include thinking about what you can do virtually, for example by doing online supervision sessions, looking at what your team can offer and encouraging team members to support returners.'

Find more information here or contact Natasha Pisarski on Twitter @NatashaPisarski, or email the Return to Practice Programme at [email protected]

Read more on support in Wales.

For support in Scotland email [email protected]