The Authority has published a stakeholder briefing on the Government consultation on reforms to healthcare professional regulation. Improving regulation for safer care for all - a briefing on Government consultation on draft AAs and PAs Order welcomes the reforms and outlines the Authority’s five recommendations to make them a success.
The Government consultation is seeking views on legislation to bring Physician Associates (PAs) and Anaesthesia Associates (AAs) into regulation under the General Medical Council (GMC).
This consultation will also shape the future of professional regulation: it will be used as the model for all other regulated healthcare professions, and rolled out to each regulator in turn – with doctors, nurses and allied health professionals next in
line. We are therefore encouraging anyone with an interest to respond to the consultation, which closes on 16 May 2023.
We think these reforms are a key opportunity to give regulators more flexibility to help tackle some of the big challenges in the sector such as those outlined in our recent report Safer care for all as well as an opportunity to bring about greater consistency between regulators. They will also allow a less adversarial and more efficient route for dealing with concerns about professionals.
However, we think there are some important changes that are needed to maximise the benefits of the reforms – we have laid out these changes in our briefing.
Alan Clamp, Chief Executive said: ‘These reforms are a major opportunity to give regulators the tools they need to tackle big challenges in regulation in health and social care. We hope all stakeholders will respond to this important consultation.’
The Authority will also be responding in full to the consultation and will be publishing its response on our website.
ENDS
Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care
Contact: media@professionalstandards.org.uk
Notes to the Editor- The Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland and Social Work England are currently outside the scope of the legislative reform programme.
- The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care oversees 10 statutory bodies that regulate health and social care professionals in the UK.
- We assess their performance and report to Parliament. We also conduct audits and investigations and can appeal fitness to practise cases to the courts if we consider that sanctions are insufficient to protect the public and it is in the public interest.
- We also set standards for organisations holding voluntary registers for health and social care occupations and accredit those that meet them.
- We share good practice and knowledge, conduct research and introduce new ideas to our sector. We monitor policy developments in the UK and internationally and provide advice on issues relating to professional standards in health and social care.
- We do this to promote the health, safety and wellbeing of users of health and social care services and the public. We are an independent body, accountable to the UK Parliament.
- Our values are – integrity, transparency, respect, fairness and teamwork – and we strive to ensure that they are at the core of our work.
- More information about our work and the approach we take is available at www.professionalstandards.org.uk