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PSA welcomes consultation on changes to healthcare regulation
24 Mar 2026
The Department of Health and Social Care has published a consultation on a draft Order which would reform how the General Medical Council (GMC) regulates doctors, anaesthesia associates and physician associates across the UK.
Responding to the launch of the consultation on Reforming the General Medical Council legislative framework, Alan Clamp, PSA Chief Executive said:
“We are pleased to see the launch of this consultation which is a significant step towards modernising the regulatory framework for the General Medical Council, with other healthcare professional regulators due to follow.
“We support the direction of travel with these reforms which, by giving the regulators greater autonomy, can allow them to undertake their regulatory duties more effectively and efficiently.
“As the oversight body, we welcome the new power proposed for us to be able to require the GMC to provide information to us. This will be important in making sure we can access all of the information we need to assess the regulator against our standards when the new legislation is in place. The consultation also proposes expanded powers for us to challenge interim order decisions if they may be insufficient for public protection.
“We will be responding to the consultation in detail and will continue to work closely with the Government and all stakeholders to help ensure the new model achieves the appropriate balance between flexibility and public protection.”
ENDS
Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care
Contact: media@professionalstandards.org.uk
Notes to the editor
- The two proposed changes to the PSA’s powers are as a result of recommendations due to be made by Lord Mann’s review into racism and antisemitism in the NHS (due to report later this year but referenced within the consultation on the GMC Order). This includes a power for the PSA to require that regulators such as GMC, share information with it for the purposes of enabling PSA to discharge its statutory functions.
- The consultation on the GMC Order also refers to a recommendation in Lord Mann’s review for a new power for the PSA to be able to challenge interim order decisions. These decisions are made ahead of a formal investigation by a regulatory body into whether a professional’s fitness to practise is impaired and are only put in place where there is a significant risk to public safety or confidence. The PSA already has powers to challenge final fitness to practise decision through section 29 of the National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Act 2002 and the consultation proposes retaining these powers.
- The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA) is the UK’s oversight body for the regulation of people working in health and social care. Our statutory remit, independence and expertise underpin our commitment to the safety of patients and service-users, and to the protection of the public. There are 10 organisations that regulate health professionals in the UK and social workers in England by law. We audit their performance and review their decisions on practitioners’ fitness to practise. We also accredit and set standards for organisations holding registers of health and care practitioners not regulated by law. We collaborate with all of these organisations to improve standards. We share good practice, knowledge and our right-touch regulation expertise.
- We also conduct and promote research on regulation. We monitor policy developments in the UK and internationally, providing guidance to governments and stakeholders. Through our UK and international consultancy, we share our expertise and broaden our regulatory insights.
- Our values are – integrity, transparency, respect, fairness and teamwork – and we strive to ensure that they are at the core of our work.