The General Medical Council (GMC) has today (Monday 16 December), begun writing to physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs) inviting them to join the professional register.
The GMC officially became the regulator for both professions last Friday (13 December). Registration opens today, and by the end of January all PAs and AAs on existing voluntary registers will have received invitations.
It means that, for the first time, patients, employers and colleagues will have assurance that PAs and AAs, once they have GMC registration, meet the regulator’s standards and can be held to account if serious concerns are raised about their practice.
GMC Chief executive Charlie Massey said:
‘This is a landmark moment in regulation and will help enhance patient safety. As physician associates and anaesthesia associates join the register, and they become regulated professions, it will increase people’s confidence in the care they receive.
‘There have been challenges, and differing opinions on some issues, but we all share a common goal of promoting patient safety and ensuring public confidence in those working within our health services.
‘I have met many physician associates and anaesthesia associates in recent months, and I have seen how they work with doctors and others in teams providing excellent care. Employers now have a responsibility to ensure the individuals working in these roles can do so in safe and collegiate environments, in which good patient care can continue to be delivered.’
To join the register of PAs and AAs, individuals will need to complete an application and provide evidence, including their qualifications and, where relevant, work history and references, to show they meet the GMC’s standards.
Once registered, members of the public will be able to search for PAs and AAs on the GMC’s online registers. PAs and AAs will each have a unique reference number, prefixed by the letter A. From December 2026 it will be an offence to practise as a PA or AA in the UK without GMC registration.
More information for patients about the GMC’s regulation of PAs and AAs is available here.
End note- Official press release from GMC