An online meeting was held with prehospital employers and key industry figures on Tuesday to discuss a new Qualsafe Level 6 Diploma offering a vocational route to HCPC registration.

A New Paramedic Pathway

Our workplace-based paramedic training is almost here: the Qualsafe Level 6 Diploma in Paramedic Sciences (RQF) will offer a vocational route to HCPC registration — without taking staff off the frontline.*

Thank you to everyone who joined our online employer briefing introducing this new vocational pathway. Led by Clinical Manager Ian Thomas with contributions from Operations Manager, Haf Thomas and Toby McClane, Pre-Hospital Care Education Consultant at Qualsafe. The online session outlined how the Diploma supports services while staff learn on the job.

Key Benefits for Employers

• Retain experienced staff who would otherwise need to pause frontline work to attend university.
• Grow your own paramedics through structured, workplace mentorship.
• Strengthen workforce resilience across urgent and emergency care with minimal service disruption.

Highlights from the Discussion

• Why it matters: Changes to the HCPC Standards of Education and Training left the BSc (Hons) as the only approved route, creating a development gap for those already in service.
• Assurance and quality: Qualsafe will oversee monitoring and quality assurance so the Diploma is comparable to a BSc (Hons).
• Employer impact: Keeping staff in role while they train can reduce service gaps and improve retention.
• Open questions: HCPC approval timelines, how research and critical appraisal are embedded, and international recognition.

Who Attended

We welcomed organisations from across urgent and emergency care, including NHS ambulance trusts, private ambulance services, and UK and Ireland search & rescue providers. A special thank you goes tohank you to the Head of Education, Kirsty Lowery-Richardson of the College of Paramedics for contributions.

Continue the Conversation

This briefing is the first step in an ongoing dialogue. We are now inviting employers to arrange a 1-to-1 appointment with our team to further explore how the Diploma could support workforce development, mentorship capacity, and service continuity.