About the Register
The AHCS register was accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) and launched in December 2014 for Healthcare Science Practitioners. PSA accreditation demonstrates that we have achieved the PSA’s high standards in governance, standard-setting, education and training, management of the register, complaints handling and information.
Healthcare Science is a profession that includes over 50 areas of applied science that support diagnosis and treatment.
The 50 specialties fall under four areas:
- Life Sciences
- Physical Sciences
- Physiological Sciences
- Informatics – this area also comes under Life and Physical Sciences
You can find out more about each of the four categories by clicking the links above.
There are over 50,000 healthcare scientists working in the NHS and public health services.
Healthcare science practitioners work in a range of healthcare settings and will have the necessary expertise in applied scientific techniques within a certain specialism, or related specialism. They are responsible for the analysis of a wide range of diagnostic tests that contribute towards the medical assessment of an individual’s health status, and potentially identify the presence of disease. They also may assess the effectiveness of treatments and ensure that they are working correctly. In some scientific disciplines, Practitioners will provide therapeutic interventions, some of which may be specialist.
Healthcare Science is a dynamic and continually evolving profession that requires highly trained staff to perform a range of up to date techniques that contribute to the care of patients. They are also involved in the research and development into newer, more effective treatments that will improve patient care in the future.
The Accredited Register consists of four parts; Healthcare Science Practitioners, Higher Specialist Scientists, Medical Illustrators and Clinical Physiologists in June 2017.
Healthcare Science Practitioners, joining our Accredited Register demonstrate their commitment to maintaining competency and high standards of conduct, providing assurance for employers, patients and the public. Being on the Register also helps to strengthen the profession as a whole, helping the Academy to raise the profile of all healthcare science professionals and their significant contribution to patient care, clinical excellence and healthcare advances.
Employers and the public can use the Public Search function to check if a certain Practitioner has met the appropriate standards to be on our Register.
