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The HPC said that almost half (48%) of under-25s had seen at least one health professional in their life, rising to 73% of over-55s. Women were more likely to see at least one specialist than men - 68% compared with 61%. One in three (33%) people had visited a physio, one in five (20%) had seen a chiropodist or podiatrist, and 9% had seen a dietician.
Call to check qualifications
09:54am 22nd November 2005
People are putting their health at risk by not checking the qualifications of physiotherapists, chiropodists and other health professionals, research revealed.
A survey of more than 2,100 adults in the UK found that 81% of people who had used the services of a health professional were oblivious to whether they were properly qualified to do their job.
The Health Professions Council (HPC) said that people would not dream of letting an unqualified electrician work on their house, but did not bother to check on those working on their bodies.
The independent regulator, which sets national standards for training and conduct across 13 health professions, has now launched a campaign to highlight the issue.
The campaign aims to emphasise the importance of checking that specialists are qualified and permitted to practise by law.
The HPC covers professions including dieticians, physiotherapists, chiropodists, speech and language therapists and occupational therapists, but not doctors and nurses.
The regulator said that more than 30 million adults in the UK had been treated by at least one health professional in their lifetime, with over half (52%) seeing one in the last 12 months.
The growing trend for patients to go straight to health specialists, rather than being referred by a doctor, means people are putting their health at greater risk if they do not check the credentials of the person treating them.
The HPC said that almost half (48%) of under-25s had seen at least one health professional in their life, rising to 73% of over-55s. Women were more likely to see at least one specialist than men - 68% compared with 61%. One in three (33%) people had visited a physio, one in five (20%) had seen a chiropodist or podiatrist, and 9% had seen a dietician.
A new website - www.HPCheck.org - has been launched so people can quickly check if a health professional is registered. To use the online register, the patient needs to type the name or registration number, and profession, of the person it is intended to see to confirm the registration details.
1 in 5 have visited a podiatrist
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