Physician and anaesthesia associates independent review announced as GMC prepares for regulation of roles
The Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting, announced an independent review of physician associate (PA) and anaesthesia associate (AAs) on 20 November.
The review will be led by Professor Gillian Leng CBE and will consider the safety of the roles and their contribution to multidisciplinary healthcare teams. It will also look at how effectively these roles are deployed in the NHS, while offering recommendations on how new roles should work in the future.
The conclusions of the review will be published in spring 2025 and will inform the workforce plan to deliver the ten-year health plan.
Responding to the announcement, Danny Mortimer, chief executive at NHS Employers said:
"Professor Gillian Leng has widely respected credentials as an evidence-based clinician and leader, and her review provides an opportunity to take a careful examination of these roles, particularly in light of their forthcoming regulation by the General Medical Council.”
Read NHS Employers' response to the announcement in full.
Read the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announcement.
GMCs timeline of final preparations for regulation of PAs and AAs
Following the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announcement of the review of PAs and AAs roles, the General Medical Council (GMC) has written to NHS organisations to provide a recap of their final preparations and key dates over the coming weeks.
21 November: Registration fees for PAs and AAs announced. The fees will cover the expected costs of regulating PAs and AAs and the GMCs statutory responsibilities to:
- set the standards of patient care and professional behaviours PAs and AAs need to meet
- set the outcomes and standards that students qualifying from PA and AA courses must meet to join the GMC register, and approve the curricula that courses must deliver
- check who is eligible to work as a PA or AA in the UK, and check they continue to meet the professional standards the GMC set throughout their careers
- investigate where there are concerns that patient safety, or the public’s confidence in PAs and AAs, may be at risk, and take action if needed.
Read more about the fees on the GMCs website.
Early December: Reporting on their consultation. The GMC will publish a detailed report on the outcome of their consultation on the proposed rules, standards and guidance for regulating PAs and AAs.
13 December: The regulation comes into effect. The GMCs governing council will approve the final rules, standards, and guidance that will implement the legislation introducing regulation of PAs and AAs.
16 December: Registration opens. Registration will officially open on 16 December 2024. The GMC will invite a small number of PAs and AAs to apply before the end of the year, followed by others on the voluntary registers by the end of January.
Further information
- Read the GMCs letter - Preparing for the regulation of PAs and AAs: working together to strengthen patient safety.
