Urgent UMAPs Statement on House of Lords Vote on Draft Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates Order 2024

UMAPS, the professional association that represents Medical Associate Professionals (MAPs) and will form the first MAP trade union in the UK, today greatly welcomes the vote in the House of Lords that paves the way for regulation of MAPs by the General Medical Council.

UMAPS Founder, Stephen Nash said: “Firstly, I would like to make clear that the debate in the House of Lords today made clear the suffering of Doctors across the UK and I would like to make a point of recognising the herculean efforts that junior doctors have amounted in order to have this seen by the British Public. Whilst UMAPs does not agree that our members or professions are the cause of this detriment, we do wish to make clear that as your colleagues, all of our members will support Junior and Senior Doctors across the team to accomplish better pay, training and quality of life. This win in the House of Lords is not just a victory for us, it is a victory for the multidisciplinary team and patients alike.

This is an important day for Medical Associate Professionals. Despite representations made about us over the last year, debate in the Lords has made clear that we are not doctors, and have no intention to replace them, but regulation by the GMC will help better define the rigorous professional frameworks that we already work to. It will give patients, and other health professionals, confidence that we work to the highest of healthcare standards.

There are currently around 4,000 PAs working in the NHS, with Government plans to expand this number to 10,000 over the coming years. They have been working in the NHS for almost 20 years.

PAs carry out roles such as supporting Consultants in medical specialities, Surgeons in surgical specialities and General Practitioners in primary care. AAs work under the delegation of a consultant anaesthetist in the perioperative environment and pre assessment clinics. We will now continue forward, as a profession, to achieve the best for patients, the multidisciplinary team and healthcare with the aim to represent ourselves proudly as a recognised profession.”