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General Medical Council (GMC)
The General Medical Council regulates doctors, anaesthesia associates (AAs) and physician associates (PAs) in the United Kingdom. They set standards, hold a register, quality assure education and investigate complaints.
The GMC began to regulate PAs and AAs from 13 December 2024. This change was introduced through legislation called the Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates Order (AA and PA Order). The decision to regulate AAs and PAs was made by the Government.
In July 2025, Professor Gillian Leng’s independent review of the physician associate (PA) and anaesthesia associate (AA) professions in England recommended that 'physician assistant' and 'physician assistant in anaesthesia' are adopted to support clearer differentiation between these roles and doctors. At this time, there is no change to the names in the AA and PA Order. However, we are aware some organisations will be starting to make changes to job roles. More information about how NHS England is responding to the Leng Review recommendations can be found here. The UK Government's response to the recommendations can be found here.
How we oversee the General Medical Council
We review the performance of the General Medical Council each year. We give our report to Parliament and publish our report on our website. We also review every decision made by the regulator's final fitness to practise panels.
How the GMC is meeting the Standards of Good Regulation
General Standards:
55 out of 5
Guidance & Standards:
22 out of 2
Education & Training:
22 out of 2
Registration:
44 out of 4
Fitness to Practise:
55 out of 5
Total standards met:
1818 out of 18