We know that our members, and especially those of you who have generously contributed to our legal fund, are keen to see your donations in action.
Today, UMAPs celebrated our first legal victory, and we wanted to keep you all updated on the progress we are already making in our judicial review case.
On 28 July 2025, we became aware – via GPC communications – that NHS England intended to amend the job role of Physician Associates in the Network Contract Direct Enhanced Service (DES), in line with recommendations made in the Leng Review. These proposed changes, had they proceeded, would have put the jobs of over 1,900 primary care PAs at serious risk.
We responded immediately by instructing our legal team to intervene. Under the leadership of Patrick Green KC and Sneha Nainwal, NHS England was formally placed on notice and urged to pause any such changes while the judicial review is underway. The request was firm and the response decisive: NHS England has now confirmed that it will not implement any changes to the DES specification affecting Physician Associates during the course of the legal proceedings.
This means that for now, employers remain free to determine how they utilise Physician Associates in their teams, without externally imposed restrictions. It is a critical step in securing the immediate future of our roles in primary care.
None of this would be possible without your financial support, and we are incredibly grateful for every donation made to our legal fund. If you would like to contribute to our fundraising campaign, please visit this link.
Under the expert guidance of our legal team, and the dedicated, strategic leadership of our own executive committee, things are moving very quickly behind the scenes here at UMAPs. We’re excited to share our future updates and victories with you – so watch this space, because we are just getting started!
