Raising a concern

Once registered with us, PAs and AAs must follow Good medical practice, which sets out the standards of patient care and behaviour expected of all our registrants.

If a serious concern is raised with us about a registered PA or AA, we may need to investigate to assess if they pose any current and ongoing risk to public protection.

We’ll gather relevant evidence to help us to reach a fair decision. We’ll evaluate information, ask questions, challenge assumptions, and be open to new evidence or changing circumstances.

To get the best evidence we can for fair decision making, we’ll support individuals with guidance on the fitness to practise process. And we’ll explain to them what we expect from them to help them participate effectively.

In each case we’ll decide what action is required, taking no more measures than necessary, and in a timely way. We'll be open about the process and the decisions we make. We’ll also explain our steps clearly and give reasons for our decisions so that everyone can understand them and hold us accountable.

During the initial phase of regulation when GMC registration isn’t compulsory, some working PAs and AAs won’t be on our register. While we can’t take action against unregistered PAs or AAs, we’ll log the information for future reference and, where appropriate, refer concerns to employers or relevant bodies who may be able to take action in the interim.

To learn more, visit our Fitness to practise webpages