In its three-yearly review, the oversight body finds that the General Medical Council has met 18 out of the 18 standards. 

Oversight body, the Professional Standards Authority, has published its annual performance review of the General Medical Council (GMC), concluding that the GMC has met 18 out of the 18 standards. Reviews are carried out every three years. 

There were four highlights of the review. 

First, the GMC’s regulatory role has expanded in this review period, the PSA said, and it now regulates anaesthesia associates (AAs) and physician associates (PAs). 

They have been invited to register with the GMC since December 2024, and registration will be mandatory from December this year, it continued. As a result, the GMC has introduced new standards, guidance, and assessments for registration for AAs and PAs, alongside quality assurance for course providers. 

It has also published good practice advice for doctors supervising AAs and PAs, and has completed in-person visits to all AA and PA course providers.

Continues to perform well

In October last year, it was reported that some doctors who had restrictions on their practice overseas were allowed to practise without restriction in the UK. Some doctors were already dual registered at the time the sanction was imposed overseas, and there were two doctors who registered with the GMC after being sanctioned overseas. The GMC took steps to restrict the practice of the doctors involved and is considering how it can continue to strengthen its registration processes. 

“This is an area of risk that we will continue to monitor closely with the GMC through our routine engagement and performance review assessments,” the PSA said. 

Next, the PSA said that it had introduced a new approach to assess regulators against its equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) standard. In order to meet that standard, regulators must assure the PSA that they are delivering the four high-level outcomes against the evidence matrix. 

“The GMC continues to perform well against this standard,” it said, adding that the council has collaborated with partners to develop EDI guidance for registrants and has provided more detail about how it collects data from those raising fitness to practise concerns. 

Finally, the report notes that fitness to practise timeliness has improved slightly despite an increase in older open cases.

“We noted the GMC has reviewed its new approach to how it handles cases with third-party investigations and has identified areas for improvement,” it said.