Health Committee to question General Medical Council on physician associates and vetting processes
The General Medical Council, the independent regulator of doctors, physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs), will be questioned by the Health and Social Care Committee.
Meeting details
The cross-party Committee will examine how the GMC has implemented its regulation of PAs and AAs since legislation came into effect in December 2024. There will be questions around ensuring PAs are not given tasks beyond their capabilities and ensuring they have adequate training.
MPs will raise issues, previously reported in the media, around practitioners hired from abroad by NHS trusts without proper vetting to check whether a practitioner had been subject to regulatory action in another country. Since October 2025, the GMC has reportedly identified 92 cases of this kind.
There may be questions on the Government’s proposals to reform the GMC, potentially giving it powers to more efficiently deal with fitness to practice cases and greater autonomy to make rules without Privy Council approval.
The Committee may also raise issues such as the Lord Mann review, the GMC’s performance at managing fitness to practice cases and discrimination as a factor in fitness to practice referrals.