Fitness to practice hearings are held in cases were there is a possibility that a persons ability to practice in specific fields could be impaired. At UWS there are 2 schools from which students must be aware of fitness to practice regulations. These are:

• School of Education & Social Sciences
• School of Health & Life Sciences

These schools cover the nursing, teaching & social work courses.

Every student who will be subject to fitness to practice regulations should have the standards outlined to them at the pre-enrolment stage. Subsequent training and reminders regarding fitness to practice are issued by each of the schools on a regular basis. Students who have graduated from any of the areas above must also be aware, that they will continue to be held to the standards if they become a registered practitioner within their fields. 

What is fitness to practice?

Being fit to practise means having the skills, knowledge, good character and good health to do the job safely and effectively. There are several bodies which manage fitness to practice regulations:

• The General Teaching Council for Scotland - for student teachers
• The Scottish Social Services Council - for Social work and Some Education students
• The Nursing and Midwifery Council - for Nursing students

The regulations from each of these bodies are designed to protect public service users from malpractice.

I've been asked to attend a fitness to practice hearing- what should I do?

If you have been asked to attend a fitness to practice hearing, the first thing to do is not panic.

The meeting has been called because there is some concern that your ability to practice safely and effectively may be in question. Often, these cases can be resolved with further training and will have no long term effects on your ability to register with your governing body.  

You should contact Your Union at UWS as soon as possible by sending an email to advice@uwsunion.org.uk to arrange an appointment with an Advice Worker, to go over the situation and support you through the process.

Where can I find more information?

Each of the regulatory bodies listed above has information on their fitness to practice regulations. As a student practitioner you should stay up to date with these policies. 

There are links to the policy within myUWS and within your programme handbook. 

You can also find out information on the University's fitness to practice regulations here.