Following the announcement made by the Faculty of Physician Associates (FPA) yesterday, the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has confirmed its decision to close the FPA on 31st December 2024.
In light of recent developments, including multiple resignations from the FPA board and the membership vote in favour of the FPA’s independence from the RCP, United Medical Associate Professionals (UMAPs) understands and respects the RCP’s decision. We express our gratitude to the RCP for hosting the FPA up to this point and facilitating the transition towards regulation by the General Medical Council.
We also extend our appreciation to the FPA for its continued efforts in representing physician associates, while recognising the significant challenges it has faced—many of which were highlighted in the recent independent review conducted by The King’s Fund, following the RCP’s Extraordinary General Meeting (2).
UMAPs believes that the College of Medical Associate Professionals (CMAPs), led by a board of previously elected FPA leaders, is well-positioned to represent its members in ongoing stakeholder discussions. We fully support CMAPs in its commitment to ensuring continued representation of Medical Associate Professionals and we look forward to seeing its efforts contribute to the profession’s growth and development in the coming years.
- Faculty of Physician Associates – quality health care across the NHS [Internet]. Available from: https://www.fparcp.co.uk/about-fpa/news/faculty-of-physician-associates-to-close-in-december-2024
- Helen Buckingham, Kathryn Perera. Royal College of Physicians: Independent learning review following the Royal College of Physicians’ Extraordinary General Meeting 2024 [Internet]. The King’s Fund. 2024. Available from: https://assets.kingsfund.org.uk/f/256914/x/d41d2041a8/rcp_independent_learning_review_09_2024.pdf