United Medical Associate Professionals (UMAPs) welcomes the news that the Court of Appeal has upheld the General Medical Council’s use of the term ‘medical professional’ to refer to Physician Associates (PAs) and Anaesthesia Associates, as well as updated advice from the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) to abandon its ill-conceived hiring freeze on AAs.
Both these updates are major victories for medical associate professionals (MAPs), ensuring that we are respected and have a more certain future in the health service.
GMC Appeal: A Victory for MAPs and Patients
On Friday, the Court of Appeal dismissed in its entirety the British Medical Association’s (BMA) appeal challenging the use of the term ‘medical professionals’ to describe PAs and AAs in the Good Medical Practice Guide.
The Court’s dismissal, following the High Court’s 2024 ruling, exposes what UMAPs has maintained throughout: the offensive and divisive narrative the BMA used to justify their campaign against MAPs was legally flawed from the outset.
The Court found that the GMC used the expression “medical professionals” and had “good reasons to do so.” It was described as “a fair and accurate label,” and its use ensures that PAs are subject to the “same rigorous ethical standards as doctors”.
UMAPs General Secretary Stephen Nash said:
“The BMA should consider issuing a formal apology for the reckless and harmful effects their divisive narrative has had on healthcare professionals and patients across the country. The damage inflicted through workplace bullying, scope restrictions, and hostile environments – all justified by arguments the courts have now twice rejected – cannot be undone, but it can be acknowledged.”
While the BMA’s legal challenges have failed twice, our legal actions proceed with confidence. We look forward to presenting before a judge the full scope of actions taken against MAPs – actions partially supported by a narrative the courts have now definitively rejected as legally unsound.
Patient safety requires clear professional standards. The GMC’s decision to include PAs and AAs under Good Medical Practice ensures accountability and maintains high standards across the regulated workforce.
The BMA’s repeated attempts to challenge this, first through judicial review, then through appeal, suggest they’re more concerned with professional protectionism than patient-centred care.”
UMAPs is currently reviewing is guidance to be in line with the High Court’s ruling.
RCoA Ends Hiring Freeze
On Monday, RCoA wrote to clinical leaders in anaesthesia to update its position statement from February 2024, which had called for a complete pause in the recruitment of new student AAs and unilaterally imposing the college’s own ‘scope of practice’. The College now advises that it is up to employers to decide for themselves how many AAs to train and employ, depending on their local needs.
This comes after UMAPs, the Association of Anaesthesia Associates, and the College of Medical Associate Professionals (CMAPs) complained to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) that RCoA claimed to employers that its scope of practice was supported by the findings of the Leng Review, as well as DHSC itself. This was categorically untrue and the government has now compelled RCoA to issue this retraction.
The original guidance was deeply flawed and completely contrary to the evidence which consistently shows that AAs are safe, help to address workforce shortages, and reduce waiting times. The updated advice still contains many protectionist elements, including a severely restrictive scope of practice which the college has no legal right to enforce. Nevertheless, it is a marked improvement which demonstrates that AAs have a significant role to play in the future of the health service.
Commenting on the updated guidance, UMAPs President of the Anaesthesia Associates Network Heather Campbell said:
“RCoA’s previous position was completely unsupported by the evidence regarding the safety of AAs and ignored the urgent demands which we help meet in the health service. While we welcome this new advice that it is up to employers to decide for themselves how many AAs to hire, we maintain that the AA role should continue to expand, in line with the NHS Longterm Workforce Plan targets of 2,000 associates by 2036/7.
We still have concerns about the College’s overall approach to AAs, particularly its reliance on a highly restrictive scope of practice which severely undermines the efficacy of the role. We look forward to continuing our discussions with RCoA and finding a viable path forward for the profession.
