UK Health and Care Regulators and Registers: Which Are Statutory and Which Are Voluntary
In short: A statutory regulator is set up by law and keeps a register of people who must be on it to use a protected title or to practise, for example the HCPC, GMC and NMC. A voluntary register is run by a professional body for titles the law doesn’t protect, such as counsellor or psychotherapist. The Professional Standards Authority (PSA) oversees the ten statutory regulators and accredits some voluntary registers. Whichever applies, search the register yourself and match the name, number and profession.
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Please read. This is general information from us, not medical, clinical or professional advice. We’re a directory: we don’t provide therapy, we don’t recommend or guarantee any practitioner, and we’re not a crisis service. If you need urgent help, please use the crisis box at the bottom of this page. Services and rules change, so check the official websites linked here.
Statutory regulator or voluntary register?
- Statutory regulator. Set up by Parliament. For its professions, the law protects certain titles, so it is a criminal offence to use one without being on the register. The register is public and shows whether the person is currently registered and any restrictions.
- Voluntary register. Run by a professional body or association for people in professions the law doesn’t regulate. Joining is a choice. Titles such as counsellor and psychotherapist are not protected, so anyone can use them, which is why a register entry is worth checking.
- Accredited Register. The Professional Standards Authority (PSA) assesses some voluntary registers against its standards and publishes the list on its Find an Accredited Register page. Accreditation is about how the register is run. It isn’t a guarantee about any one person.
The ten statutory regulators
The PSA says it oversees ten UK health and social care regulators. Most work across the UK. Social Work England, the General Pharmaceutical Council (Great Britain) and the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland are the exceptions. Here they are with the professions each one registers. Details were read on the PSA, HCPC and regulators’ own websites on 28 October 2026. A few regulator sites (the GMC, the GPhC and Social Work England) block automated checking, so please use their own pages for the current detail.
| Regulator | Who is on the register | Where | Official links |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) | Arts therapists, dietitians, occupational therapists, paramedics, physiotherapists, practitioner psychologists, speech and language therapists and several other professions. Each has protected titles. | UK | Website; Check the register |
| General Medical Council (GMC) | Doctors, including psychiatrists. Psychiatrists also appear on the GMC specialist register. | UK | Website; Check the register |
| Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) | Nurses, midwives and nursing associates. | UK | Website; Check the register |
| General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) | Pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and registered pharmacies in Great Britain. | Great Britain | Website; register search on its website |
| Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI) | Pharmacists and pharmacies in Northern Ireland. | Northern Ireland | Website; register search on its website |
| General Osteopathic Council (GOsC) | Osteopaths. | UK | Website; register search on its website |
| General Chiropractic Council (GCC) | Chiropractors. | UK | Website; register search on its website |
| General Dental Council (GDC) | Dentists and other dental professionals. | UK | Website; register search on its website |
| General Optical Council (GOC) | Optometrists and dispensing opticians. | UK | Website; register search on its website |
| Social Work England | Social workers in England. | England | Website; register search on its website |
The HCPC register is the one most relevant to allied health professionals: occupational therapists, physiotherapists, dietitians, speech and language therapists, arts therapists (art, music and drama) and practitioner psychologists. See the HCPC’s list of professions and protected titles.
Voluntary registers accredited by the PSA
These are voluntary registers that the PSA listed among its Accredited Registers when we looked on 28 October 2026. The PSA’s own page is the live list, and it can change, so check it too. Each register is run by the organisation named, not by the PSA.
| Register | Typically covers | Official links |
|---|---|---|
| British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) | Counsellors and psychotherapists | Website; Check the register |
| UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) | Psychotherapists, including child and family and systemic psychotherapists | Website; Check the register |
| National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS) | Counsellors and psychotherapists | Website; register search on its website |
| Association of Christians in Counselling and Linked Professions (ACC) | Counsellors and psychotherapists | Website; Check the register |
| Counselling and Psychotherapy in Scotland (COSCA) | Counsellors and psychotherapists in Scotland | Website; Check the register |
| CBT Register UK (run by BABCP) | Cognitive behavioural therapists | Website; Check the register |
| Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP) | Child and adolescent psychotherapists | Website; Check the register |
| British Association of Play Therapists (BAPT) | Play therapists | Website; Check the register |
| Play Therapy UK (PTUK) | Play therapists | Website; Check the register |
| British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC) | Psychoanalytic psychotherapists | Website; register search on its website |
| British Psychological Society (BPS) | Psychologists. Practitioner psychologists must also be on the HCPC register. | Website; register search on its website |
The PSA’s check a practitioner page can help if you are not sure which register to use.
Professional bodies are not registers
A professional body represents and supports people in a profession. Some also run a register, as above. Others do not. Membership of a body is not the same as being on a register, so ask for the register and number. Examples of professional bodies for the professions regulated by the HCPC include the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, the British Dietetic Association, the British Association of Art Therapists, the British Association for Music Therapy and the British Association of Dramatherapists. Their members must still be on the HCPC register to use the protected titles. The Association for Dance Movement Psychotherapy UK (ADMP UK) keeps its own professional register, which we did not see on the PSA’s list of Accredited Registers on 28 October 2026.
How to check anyone
- Ask which register they are on and for their number.
- Open that register’s own website from the table above, not a link they send you.
- Search by name or number. Check that the name, number and profession match, and read any restrictions shown.
Our guide to checking a register has the profession-by-profession version. On Therapist Circle, every practitioner on Find shows their register and number, and we look each one up on their public register by hand before the profile appears. A check is only correct on the day it was made, so please also check yourself.
Common Questions
What is the difference between a statutory regulator and a voluntary register?
A statutory regulator is set up by law and its register protects certain titles, so people must be on it to use them. A voluntary register is run by a professional body for professions the law doesn’t regulate, and joining is a choice. The Professional Standards Authority oversees the statutory regulators and accredits some voluntary registers.
Is a counsellor or psychotherapist regulated by law in the UK?
No. Counsellor and psychotherapist are not protected titles, so anyone can use them. Look for a register accredited by the Professional Standards Authority, such as those run by BACP, UKCP, NCPS, ACC or COSCA, and check the person on it.
Which register do occupational therapists, physiotherapists, dietitians and speech and language therapists use?
The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) register. Those titles are protected by law, so anyone using them must be on it.
What is an Accredited Register?
A voluntary register that the Professional Standards Authority has assessed against its standards. Accreditation is about how the register is run, not a guarantee about any one practitioner, so check the person on the register yourself.
Does Therapist Circle regulate anyone?
No. We are an independent directory. We look each practitioner up on their public register by hand before their profile appears on Find, and we are not affiliated with any regulator or professional body.
Last reviewed 28 October 2026. General information only, from the PSA, the HCPC and the other organisations’ own websites. We are independent: not affiliated with or endorsed by the NHS, any regulator or any professional body. Not medical advice and not a crisis service.
Related: How to check a therapist is registered · Glossary · Types of therapist in the UK
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