GMC welcomes judgment following appeal by British Medical Association

The GMC welcomes the decision of the Court of Appeal in a judgment handed down today, to dismiss in its entirety an appeal brought by the British Medical Association (BMA). In their appeal, the BMA challenged the finding of the High Court last year to dismiss their judicial review of the GMC's use of the term 'medical professionals' within its core professional guidance - Good medical practice.

A spokesperson for the GMC, said:

‘We welcome the Court of Appeal judgment, which dismissed in its entirety the BMA’s appeal in respect of our use of the term medical professionals within our core professional standards - Good medical practice.

‘We regret the matter came to this and are grateful for the clarity the court has provided on the issue.

‘We hope today’s judgment brings finality to the matter.’

Ends

Additional information:

• Last year, a High Court judgment dismissed on all three grounds a judicial review claim brought by the British Medical Association (BMA). In the claim the BMA had challenged GMC's decision to apply our core professional standards – Good medical practice – to doctors, physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs) and our use of the term 'medical professionals' within this guidance.
• Read the GMC statement welcoming the judgment of the 2025 judicial review brought by the BMA.
• Read the GMC statement following the decision of the High Court to dismiss the judicial review claim brought by Anaesthetists United Ltd.
• Read about the GMC’s consultation process for Good medical practice.