The MVR for SCPs is held exclusively by RCSEd and RCSEng and provides the opportunity for practising SCPs in the UK to demonstrate to their peers, employers and patients that they are appropriately qualified and working to the standards expected by the two colleges. The MVR also provides reassurance in this regard to employers and members of the public. For SCPs in training, joining the register demonstrates a commitment to professional development.
The SCP MVR was established in 2022, alongside a new Curriculum Framework for SCPs. Collectively, these initiatives establish and communicate the standards for the postgraduate education of SCPs and their ongoing professional development. Both surgical colleges strongly support the position that SCPs should be regulated in the future by the General Medical Council (GMC), in line with the arrangements for the other Medical Associate Professions (MAPs). The creation of an MVR will strengthen the case for statutory regulation.
Joining the register means you are joining the official database of Surgical Care Practitioners and the wider surgical community.
A key component of good regulation is maintaining a register of practitioners. Neither the Nursing and Midwifery Council nor the Health and Care Professions Council can currently reflect an SCP’s extended scope of practice within its register, which can be significant.