Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care

[1] Where occupations are not subject to statutory regulation, it sets standards for those organisations that hold voluntary registers and accredits those that meet them.

[3] The Health Act 1999 allowed the UK government to more easily change healthcare regulatory arrangements, through orders of the Privy Council.

[4] The Kennedy report into the Bristol heart scandal was published in July 2001 and plans for a body to oversee the regulation of healthcare professionals in the UK quickly followed.

[9] Accredited registers are a voluntary scheme where the PSA sets out some standards that are applicable to organisations that deal with occupations that are not statutorily regulated.

[10] The PSA accredits organisations that hold voluntary registers, offering a "quality mark" to those that show they have met various standards.

[14] The devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all fund the authority, with contributions in line with the Barnett formula.