Professional Standards Authority

31/12/2025

How can decision-making be fair, consistent and robust?

Our recent report offers data, case studies and thematic insights to support fitness to practise decision-making by regulators’ panels.

Read the full analysis here: www.professionalstandards.org.uk/news-and-updates/news/psa-publishes-report-aimed-strengthening-fitness-practise-decisions?fbclid=IwY2xjawOyRfxleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETA4VURqT2FBTmlkQ3JqbXBOc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHqN8FiegkgH97X3mW8Rc9oGYjTFD5Sp0WIHmYDyq-fr4Q1_zyi7pHonllj_g_aem_UxlU9IqFeuWd5T7RKHCRpQ

The Professional Standards Authority (PSA) has today published its first report focused on its ‘S

30/12/2025

Earlier this year, we published guidance to share good practice amongst regulators when working to address health inequalities.

Persistent inequalities in health and social care continue to affect both the public and professionals. Here is how the General Medical Council (GMC) is taking action to create fairer training environments:

✅ Collecting and analysing data on learner progression by protected characteristic
✅ Exploring intersectionality and its impact on differential attainment
✅ Requiring training organisations to show how they tackle inequality
✅ Providing guidance and resources for inclusive patient care
✅ Publishing interactive case studies on applying Good Medical Practice

Click here for more examples of good EDI practice amongst regulators: www.professionalstandards.org.uk/news-and-updates/news/psa-publishes-guidance-share-good-practice-how-regulators-are-working-address?fbclid=IwY2xjawOyDwdleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETA4VURqT2FBTmlkQ3JqbXBOc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHnVDeXHu_q2qKkUHDJwM1j9uuPqNE4A-uWfQQAZW4piHxGwg7PxFqDnwd6QY_aem_-HxBvcdvwxlvwTqcimxI-Q

29/12/2025

What motivates both service users and professionals to make a complaint?

Based on our research findings, the strongest common driver that motivates individuals to make a complaint is the desire to prevent harm to others and ensure safe, high-quality care.

Service users and professionals want to see poor practice addressed and professionals held to account when standards are breached. People also tend to be driven by a sense of moral responsibility to act, even when the process seems complicated or daunting.

Find out more about the barriers and enablers to making a complaint to a health or social care professional regulator here: www.professionalstandards.org.uk/publications/barriers-and-enablers-making-complaint-health-or-social-care-professional-regulator?fbclid=IwY2xjawOyBw5leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETA4VURqT2FBTmlkQ3JqbXBOc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHvWQlKQqWFyXEipGzYHsJ9JflM7wZ-ldqKsLkmuGmjtRrgTfWH96UCodISr2_aem_rpmvLsFaS4TGu3slI8y2RQ

26/12/2025

❄️Today concludes our twelve days of Christmas ❄️

Over the past few posts, we have reflected on the work the Professional Standards Authority has achieved this year.

Thank you to everyone who has engaged with us, collaborated, and contributed to driving improvements across health and social care.

We are looking forward to continuing this journey in 2026.

www.professionalstandards.org.uk

Protecting the public by overseeing the regulation and registration of healthcare professionals- We are the UK’s independent regulatory oversight body improving the quality of regulation and registration of people working in health and social care.

25/12/2025

❄️ Eleventh Day of Christmas: Standards Review ❄️

We held a consultation earlier this year inviting views on whether the Standards we use to assess regulators and Accredited Registers are fit for the future. At the same time, we ran a call for evidence and carried out a review of published evidence on ways regulation could improve.
This was to help shape our thinking about the new Standards, which will be published in early 2026.

You can read two reports related to the consultation below.

Consultation outcome report: www.professionalstandards.org.uk/publications/standards-review-2025-consultation-outcome-report

Evidence review outcome report: www.professionalstandards.org.uk/publications/standards-review-2025-evidence-review-outcome-report

24/12/2025

❄️Tenth Day of Christmas: Accredited Registers ❄️

We accredit organisations holding registers of health and care practitioners not regulated by law, to give the public confidence in their services.

Take a look at a few statistics from the last financial year:
✔️75 assessments completed
✔️32 reports published
✔️6 new registers accredited at current registers
✔️2 new applicant Standard One assessments completed

Click here to find out more about our Accredited Registers programme: www.professionalstandards.org.uk/organisations-we-oversee/our-work-accredited-registers

23/12/2025

❄️Ninth day of Christmas: Our Responses❄️

Over the year, we responded to 19 consultations, inquiries, or calls for evidence.

Here are some highlights:

1) We submitted evidence to the independent review of physician associates and anaesthesia associates, led by Professor Gillian Leng CBE. We focussed on scopes of practice and ensuring any risks to patients are identified and addressed. We advocate for a Right-touch regulation approach, tailored to the nature and severity of risks, to help inform fair and effective decisions.

2) We responded to the Equality and Human Rights Commission consultation on its updated Code of Practice following the Supreme Court ruling on ‘biological sex’. While we welcome the guidance, we believe it needs clearer direction for regulators and health professionals on applying the judgment fairly and safeguarding dignity and privacy.

3) We submitted evidence to the Women and Equalities Committee’s Inquiry into the health impacts of cosmetic procedures. Our response highlighted the regulatory gap around non-surgical procedures, calls for a risk-based licensing approach, and stresses the importance of UK-wide consistency and strong public communication to help people make safe choices.

4) We responded to the Government’s consultation on proposals to regulate NHS managers. Our submission stressed that any approach must be proportionate, targeted, and based on a clear understanding of risk, balancing accountability with support for professional development. We advocate for right-touch regulation and collaboration with the sector to find the most effective solution.

Click here for our publications: www.professionalstandards.org.uk/publications?page=1
To keep up to date with all our news, sign up to our newsletter here: www.professionalstandards.org.uk/sign-newsletter

22/12/2025

We have published our annual performance review of the General Dental Council (GDC), assessing its performance against our Standards of Good Regulation from October 2024 to September 2025.

The GDC met 16 out of 18 Standards this year. It did not meet Standard 3 (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) or Standard 15 (fitness to practise timeliness).

We commended the GDC for:
• Introducing priority booking for refugees on its Overseas Registration Exam
• Changes made to the identification and support for whistleblowers
• Progress on its commitment to EDI and public reporting

However, concerns remain around a lack of explicit references to discriminatory behaviour in fitness to practise guidance and Council and Committee members not receiving EDI training.

In line with our Escalation Policy, we have written to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee to update them on the GDC's performance.

Read the full review here: https://www.professionalstandards.org.uk/news-and-updates/news/psa-publishes-its-review-general-dental-councils-performance-202425

19/12/2025

❄️Eighth Day of Christmas: Barriers to Complaints ❄️

In September, we published research we commissioned into the barriers and enablers to making a complaint to a health or social care professional regulator.

The report reveals that, whilst some individuals had good experiences, many complainants who took part in the research felt discouraged and disappointed by the process, highlighting the need for improvements in accessibility, transparency, communication and public awareness.

Reporting concerns helps ensure lessons are learnt when things go wrong and allows potential issues to be spotted earlier. This is why uncovering the barriers to complaints can help to improve patient safety.

Download the report here:

Research we commissioned to help us better understand the barriers and enablers to making a complaint to regulators or Accredited Registers.

18/12/2025

❄️Seventh Day of Christmas: Performance Reviews ❄️

We check how well organisations regulating people working in health and social care are doing their job. Every year, we report on the 10 regulators we oversee to make sure they're protecting the public properly.

Here is what this year looked like for our Performance Review team:
✔️277 fitness to practise cases audited
✔️2 audits of regulators’ education quality assurance functions
✔️269,000 words written across analysis documents and reports
✔️435 stakeholders contacted for feedback on regulators’ performance

These figures show how we work to hold regulators to account and drive improvements in health and care regulation.

Find out more about our performance review process here:
www.professionalstandards.org.uk/organisations-we-oversee/our-work-regulators/our-performance-reviews-regulators

17/12/2025

We have published our most recent report for the General Medical Council (GMC).

The report covers October 2024 to September 2025 and looks at how the GMC is meeting the Standards of Good Regulation. During this time, they met all 18 Standards.

Key points:
- The GMC now regulates Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates, introducing new assessments and quality assurance processes for these professions.
- We identified an area of risk around doctors with overseas sanctions practising in the UK. The GMC has taken steps to address this and is considering how it can strengthen its registration processes.
- Strong performance continues on the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Standard, with further good practice identified. The GMC plans to improve data collection.
- The GMC met all five fitness to practise standards again this year, with slight improvements in timeliness, though we will monitor the rise in older open cases.

Read the full report for detailed findings: https://www.professionalstandards.org.uk/publications/monitoring-report-general-medical-council-202425

16/12/2025

Association of British HealthTech Industries (ABHI) and Patient Safety Learning recently published 'ABHI Patient Safety System Foundations: A Call for Action'.

This report sets out how the HealthTech industry can work collaboratively across the system to reduce avoidable harm and strengthen safety for patients and healthcare workers.

We welcome its publication, which discusses key issues for regulators and partners across health and care.

📄 Read the report here: https://www.abhi.org.uk/resource-hub/file/21345