HCPC Professional Conduct & Ethics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the purpose of a code of professional conduct in healthcare?
- To set standards for professional behaviour that protect patients and maintain public trust (Correct answer)
- To outline procedures for salary negotiations
- To define NHS staffing ratios
- To provide guidelines on clinical audit formats
Correct answer: To set standards for professional behaviour that protect patients and maintain public trust
Professional codes of conduct establish the behavioural and ethical standards expected of registrants, protecting patients from harm and maintaining public confidence in the profession.
Question 2: A healthcare professional uses social media to post about a frustrating shift without naming individuals. Is this acceptable?
- Potentially not — context could allow identification; HCPC standards of conduct apply online as well as in person (Correct answer)
- Completely acceptable as no names are mentioned
- Acceptable if the post is on a private account
- Only unacceptable if the patient complains
Correct answer: Potentially not — context could allow identification; HCPC standards of conduct apply online as well as in person
HCPC guidance on social media states that professional standards apply to online behaviour. Even without naming individuals, posts can identify patients by context and breach confidentiality or bring the profession into disrepute.
Question 3: Which ethical approach focuses on the character and virtues of the healthcare professional rather than rules or outcomes?
- Virtue ethics (Correct answer)
- Consequentialism
- Deontology
- Utilitarianism
Correct answer: Virtue ethics
Virtue ethics (rooted in Aristotle) holds that ethical behaviour flows from the character of a moral agent — virtues such as honesty, compassion, and integrity guide decision-making rather than rules or consequences.
Question 4: Under the HCPC Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics, what does Standard 9 address?
- Being honest and trustworthy in all professional dealings (Correct answer)
- Obtaining valid consent
- Maintaining records
- Working with colleagues
Correct answer: Being honest and trustworthy in all professional dealings
HCPC Standard 9 (Be honest and trustworthy) requires registrants to be truthful in all professional communication, declare conflicts of interest, and not allow commercial interests to compromise their professional standards.
Question 5: A radiographer discovers that imaging results have been inaccurately reported. What ethical obligations apply?
- Raise the concern through appropriate clinical governance channels; patients potentially affected may need to be informed (Correct answer)
- Do nothing as it is the radiologist's responsibility
- Report directly to the press
- Correct the records without informing anyone
Correct answer: Raise the concern through appropriate clinical governance channels; patients potentially affected may need to be informed
HCPC standards require registrants to raise clinical governance concerns through appropriate channels. Where patients may have been harmed by inaccurate reports, duty of candour may also be engaged.
Question 6: What is 'moral distress' in the context of healthcare professional ethics?
- Distress experienced when a professional knows the right action but is constrained from taking it (Correct answer)
- Discomfort caused by a difficult patient
- Legal liability from a clinical error
- Burnout from working long hours
Correct answer: Distress experienced when a professional knows the right action but is constrained from taking it
Moral distress occurs when a healthcare professional recognises the ethically correct action but is prevented from acting accordingly (e.g., due to institutional constraints, resource limitations, or colleague pressure).
HCPC Professional Conduct & Ethics 2
What is the purpose of a code of professional conduct in healthcare?