The UK government is reforming the way we and other healthcare professional regulators work.
Regulatory reform will happen in stages. The first step made us a multiprofessional regulator responsible for the regulation of physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs) from December 2024.
The next step is underway: from 24 March 2026 to 23 June 2026, the UK government is consulting on a draft of new legislation that will reform how doctors and other healthcare professionals are regulated.
Regulatory reform will mean we can progress with our ambitions to become a more effective, relevant and compassionate regulator.
We have long called for reform and warmly welcome the UK Government's 2026 consultation. It's a significant step towards a more responsive and flexible framework that better serves the needs of patients and the professionals we regulate.
The regulation of PAs and AAs is now in effect. Regulation strengthens patient safety and public trust in PAs and AAs.
It helps provide assurance to patients, employers and colleagues that PAs and AAs have the right level of education and training to meet our registration requirements. And that they meet the standards that we expect of the professions we regulate, and can be held to account if serious concerns are raised.
We work with doctors, physician associates, anaesthesia associates, those they care for and other stakeholders to support good, safe patient care across the UK.
