United Medical Associate Professionals (UMAPs) wholeheartedly welcomes the decision by Mrs Justice Lambert to dismiss the judicial review claim by Anaesthetists United (AU) against the General Medical Council (GMC) on all grounds.
In her judgement, Mrs Justice Lambert found that the GMC had acted rationally and in accordance with its public duty by following the medical model for regulation of Physician Associates (PAs) and Anaesthesia Associates (AAs). This includes the decision to not set hard limits on medical associates’ scope of practice, which could prevent associates from undertaking work which they have the competence to perform, as well as hamper their professional development.
Mrs Justice Lambert also concluded that it was rational for the GMC to regulate associates through registration (which will be a legal requirement from 2026) as well as continual revalidation and appraisal, which UMAPs supports.
The court was satisfied that there had been no failure by the GMC to take into account the material evidence on patient safety in reaching this decision.
Furthermore, Mrs Justice Lambert was clear that current GMC guidelines on how associates introduce themselves, and how they differentiate themselves from doctors, are sufficient. She dismissed claims by AU’s lawyers that associates were undermining the principle of informed consent by not giving details of their medical backgrounds as a “giant leap”. Under AU and The BMA’s claim, any medical professional who does not disclose that they have not performed a specific procedure in a long time would then be guilty of a criminal act. Justice Lambert felt that such an extension would be “novel to say the least.”
Reacting to the judgement, UMAPs General Secretary Stephen Nash said:
“This is a brilliant result for medical associates and patients! The judgement has delivered a hammer blow to the BMA and Anaesthetists United’s mendacious claims that we are undermining patient safety and that our introduction to regulation has been poorly carried out.
The GMC has acted completely rationally and in accordance with other medical regulators, by giving associates a broad scope of practice buffered by rigorous training and careful guidance by medical supervisors. This allows us to do the jobs we are qualified to do and improve access to care across the NHS by allowing Medical Associates to work to the full extent of their individual scope of practice and proficiencies.
The claim that associates are undermining the principle of informed consent was totally without merit and has rightly been rejected by the court. This assertion was clearly intended to undermine public confidence in hard working PAs and AAs, who have dedicated their careers to looking after patients. We are currently seeing a complete collapse in the antiMAP narrative as their misinformation fails to hold up to scrutiny.
As the recognised trade union for medical associates, UMAPs takes its responsibility to provide governance, advice and guidance to PAs and AAs incredibly seriously. We welcome the continued regulation of our profession by the GMC and will continue to work closely with them to ensure that high standards are maintained across the health service.”
