ACC Code of Conduct

1. Integrity

Act honestly and in the provider's legitimate interests at all times. Do not withhold findings that are inconvenient, overstate a difficulty in order to extend an engagement, or allow commercial interest to shape professional judgement.

2. Honesty

Be truthful in all dealings with providers, people using services, ACC and regulators. Correct any statement you later find to be inaccurate, promptly and in writing.

3. Professional competence

Accept only work you are competent to carry out, judged against the specialisms on your accredited profile. Where an engagement extends beyond that competence, say so and either decline the work or arrange suitable involvement from someone who holds the expertise.

4. Evidence-based advice

Base advice on current legislation, regulatory guidance and recognised good practice, and identify the source when a provider asks. Distinguish clearly between a legal or regulatory requirement, recognised good practice, and your own professional opinion.

5. Confidentiality

Treat information about a provider, its staff and the people it supports as confidential. Disclose it only with consent, or where disclosure is required by law or necessary to protect someone from harm.

6. Data protection

Handle personal data in accordance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Collect only what the engagement requires, store it securely, transfer it safely, and delete or return it once it is no longer needed.

7. Professional boundaries

Maintain appropriate boundaries with staff, people using services and their families. Do not take on a role, relationship or responsibility that compromises objectivity or that properly belongs to the provider.

8. Conflicts of interest

Declare any actual or potential conflict before an engagement begins, including work for competing providers, financial interests in suppliers you recommend, and relationships with commissioners or inspectors. Where a conflict cannot be managed, decline the work.

9. Impartiality

Report what you find. Do not adjust an audit finding, an assessment or a report at the provider's request unless the change corrects a factual error, and keep a record of any change made.

10. Equality and diversity

Work in a way that upholds the Equality Act 2010. Do not discriminate against staff, people using services or colleagues, and give due regard to individual needs, culture, communication and protected characteristics in the advice you give.

11. Safeguarding responsibilities

Where you identify a risk of harm or abuse, raise it with the provider immediately. Where the provider does not act, or where the concern involves the provider itself, escalate to the local safeguarding authority and the relevant regulator without delay. Safeguarding duties override client confidentiality and commercial considerations.

12. Accurate representation of qualifications

Describe your qualifications, registrations and memberships exactly as they are held. Do not use titles you are not entitled to, imply a qualification is current when it has lapsed, or present training attendance as a formal qualification.

13. Accurate representation of CQC experience

Describe regulatory experience precisely — including whether it was gained as a provider, a manager, a consultant or as a regulator's employee, and how recently. Do not imply a current relationship with the Care Quality Commission, or any other inspectorate, that you do not have.

14. Transparency regarding fees

Agree fees, expenses, scope, deliverables and cancellation terms in writing before work begins. Raise any change to scope or cost before incurring it. Do not use pressure selling, and do not charge for work that was not agreed.

15. Professional communication

Communicate clearly, courteously and within agreed timescales, in a manner appropriate to the audience. Avoid alarmist language, and be careful that written findings cannot reasonably be misread.

16. Record keeping

Keep proportionate records of engagements, advice given, findings and correspondence, sufficient to evidence your work if it is later questioned. Retain them securely for as long as there is a lawful reason to hold them.

17. Cooperation with complaints

Cooperate fully and promptly with any complaint or review conducted by ACC, providing the information requested and responding within the timescales given.

18. Continuous professional development

Keep knowledge current in the specialisms you advertise, including changes to regulation, guidance and practice. Be able to describe your recent development activity on request at renewal.

Reporting concerns

Anyone may raise a concern about the conduct of an accredited consultant — a provider, a member of staff, a person using services, another consultant, or a regulator. Concerns can be raised through our complaints page and should identify the consultant, describe what happened and, where possible, include supporting correspondence.

Where a concern indicates a risk to a person receiving care, report it to the provider's safeguarding lead and the relevant local authority and regulator first. ACC does not replace those routes.

Investigation

We acknowledge concerns promptly and tell both parties what we intend to do. We ask the consultant for their account and any relevant records, and we may ask the person raising the concern for further information.

Investigations are proportionate to the concern raised. We consider the Code as it stood at the time of the conduct complained of. We aim to conclude within 28 days and will explain any delay.

Remedial action

Where a breach is established but is capable of being put right, we may require remedial action — for example a written correction to a provider, a change to advertised claims or website wording, completion of specific development, or amended contracting practice.

Remedial action is confirmed in writing with a deadline, and compliance is checked before the matter is closed.

Suspension

Accreditation may be suspended while a serious concern is under review, where insurance has lapsed, where a consultant does not respond to a reasonable request, or where required remedial action has not been completed.

A suspended consultant must stop using the ACC accreditation seal immediately. The public listing is withdrawn and the verification page shows the consultant as Suspended.

Removal from the register

Accreditation may be withdrawn for a serious or repeated breach of this Code, for dishonesty toward ACC or a provider, for a prohibited claim, for a failure to act on a safeguarding concern, or where a consultant is barred from working in health or social care.

Removal takes effect immediately, the profile is withdrawn from the directory, verification shows accreditation is no longer held, and all use of the seal and of accredited status must stop.

Appeals

A consultant may appeal any finding, remedial requirement, suspension or removal by writing to us within 28 days of the decision, setting out the grounds and enclosing any further evidence.

Appeals are considered by someone who was not involved in the original decision, and we aim to respond within 21 days. A suspension or removal remains in effect while the appeal is considered, unless we decide otherwise.