Return to Practice gives individuals, who have been registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) or Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) previously, the chance to return to their profession by undertaking a period of updating. Following this healthcare providers such as The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust can employ Allied Health Professionals (AHPs), Nurses and Midwives who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience with them.
Allied Health Professionals
Have you previously been registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a qualified Allied Health Professional (AHP), but your HCPC registration has lapsed? Have you been thinking about using your HCPC Allied Health Profession qualification again?
If you have, then we want to hear from you! At RWT we welcome enquires from AHPs who wish to return to practice. We will endeavour to support you in becoming registered with the HCPC again. We have a wide range of clinical areas and localities available, and we will work with you to find a suitable opportunity to help you on your journey.
How do AHPs Return to Practice?
If you have previously qualified as an AHP and wish to return to your profession, then you may need to undertake a period of updating before you can become re-registered and return to work as an AHP.
If you are returning to practice, the HCPC requires you to update your knowledge and skills as follows:
| Time out of practice / Time unregistered | Minimum time required to update skills & knowledge
*at least 50% of the hours need to be in practice |
|---|---|
| Up to 2 years | No requirement needed |
| 2 to 5 years | 30 days (210 hours) |
| Over 5 years | 60 days (420 hours) |
Updating can be in the form of supervised practice and formal or private study. However, the study element must be no more than half of the period of updating (e.g., if you are required to undertake 30 days of updating, you may wish to choose 15 days of supervised practice and 15 days of study, or 20 days of supervised practice and 10 days of study).
Funding Available to Support AHP Return to Practice
NHS Health Education England (HEE) will provide up to £800 to AHPs returning to practice to assist with costs and expenses such as purchasing books, car parking, childcare etc. HEE will also pay for some courses relevant to returnees. The funding is available for AHPs who currently reside and work in England.
Other Information for AHP Return to Practice
Practice hours must be supervised and countersigned by a registered professional with two or more years’ experience and in the same profession as you. You will also need someone to countersign your study who must also be a registered professional in the same profession as you with two or more years’ experience.
Please note, if you have any fitness/condition to practice issues cited against you by the HCPC you would not be eligible to return to practice.
How do I Apply?
- Please contact Amy Hobson-Obhrai (amy.hobson@nhs.net) who will send you an application form to complete and return (contact details below). Or check job adverts on NHS Jobs for those that welcome applications from professionals wishing to return to practice.
- You will also need to register your Return to Practice with HEE: R2PAHP-HCS@hee.nhs.uk. This will enable you to receive your unique reference number which will allow you to access an online claim system to support expenses relating to your return. You will also need to give this to the organisation which supports your supervised practice.
Useful Links
Nurses and Midwives
Have you previously been registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as a qualified Nurse or Midwife, but your NMC registration has lapsed? Have you been thinking about using your Nursing/Midwifery qualification again?
If you have, then we want to hear from you! At RWT we welcome enquiries from Nurses and Midwives who wish to return to practice. We will endeavour to support you in becoming registered with the NMC again. We have a wide range of clinical areas and localities available, and we will work with you to find a suitable opportunity to help you on your journey.
How do Nurses and Midwives Return to Practice?
You can apply directly through the NMC website or if you want to use hours worked through the COVID-19 temporary register, you will need to email the NMC to request a paper copy of the readmission pack.
You may be able to re-register with the NMC without doing a course or a test. You will need:
- 450 registered practice hours over the last three years or 750 hours over the last five, including any practice hours gained on the COVID-19 temporary register
- 35 hours of continuing professional development (CPD) in the last three years
- to provide three character references
Test of competence
If you have been out of nursing for a while, the Test of Competence is a great way to update your knowledge.
The test is made up of two parts:- A multiple-choice computer-based test (CBT)
- A practical test known as the Objective structured clinical examination (OSCE)
You can apply for the test through the NMC website, where you will also find a lot of preparation materials and essential reading to help you revise for the test.
Return to practice course
A return to practice course will refresh your knowledge and skills so that you can return to nursing/midwifery with confidence. It involves a combination of classroom and placement-based learning. You will also be assigned a personal mentor to support you through your studies.
The course takes between three and 12 months to complete, depending on how long you have been out of practice.
Funding Available to Support Nursing/Midwifery return to Practice
If you apply directly to a university, NHS Health Education England (HEE) will pay for your course and placement fees. You will also be given £1,000 to help cover any childcare, travel, and book costs.
If you apply through an NHS organisation, your course and placement fees will be covered and you will either receive a salary or £1,000 to help cover your costs.
How Do I Apply?
Please contact a member of the Nursing Workforce Team who will send you an application form to complete and return (contact details below). Or check job adverts on NHS Jobs for those that welcome applications from professionals wishing to return to practice.
Applying to NMC for readmission on the register- Most people can apply for readmission through NMC Online When you log into your account there will be an alert inviting you to make an application for readmission. If you’re using hours gained while practising on the Covid-19 temporary register towards your practice hours the application process is slightly different.
Readmission can take up to six weeks. It might take longer if we need more information. NMC can only review your application when you've submitted everything, so you should check the readmission requirements to find out what you need to provide.
Useful Links
NMC - Take a Test of Competence to return to practice
NHS - The return to nursing practice programme
Events
Return To Practice events are delivered collaboratively by the Black Country AHP & Nursing Faculty and the Integrated Care System (ICS) - working together to support you. As an Integrated Care System, we acknowledge the wealth of experience that returning practitioners will bring back to their profession. These events aim to provide all of the information and support you require to achieve your ambition of returning to practice.
Dates of future events will be detailed below.
