Expected physician associate and anaesthesia associate fee announced

Published 21 November 2024

The expected fee that physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associations (AAs) will pay for registration with the General Medical Council (GMC) is £320.

The fee, subject to ratification by the GMC’s Council in December, covers one year of registration, after which PAs and AAs will pay annually to maintain their registration. The amount payable in future is expected to be around the same, although it may increase slightly each year to account for inflation. The GMC will review the fee annually to understand if there is any need for other adjustments.

The fee covers the cost of regulation, including the GMC’s work to:

  • set the standards of patient care and professional behaviours PAs and AAs must meet
  • set the outcomes and standards that students qualifying from PA and AA courses must meet to achieve registration, and approve the curricula that courses must deliver
  • check who is eligible to work in the UK and that they continue to meet professional standards throughout their careers
  • provide guidance and advice to help PAs and AAs understand what’s expected of them
  • investigate if there are concerns that a PA or an AA may have acted in a way that risks patient safety, or public confidence, and take action if needed.

Differences in the fees payable by PAs and AAs and those paid by doctors reflect the differences in the GMC’s processes that will apply to them.

Charlie Massey, Chief Executive of the GMC said:

‘This announcement marks a practical step in making regulation of physician associates and anaesthesia associates a reality.

‘Regulation will assure patients, employers and colleagues that PAs and AAs have the right level of education and training, meet the standards that we expect of the professions we regulate and that they can be held to account if serious concerns are raised.’

Find out more about the fees, and the GMC’s regulation of PAs and AAs.

Ends