19:5:26 Respond to GMC undermining patient safety
It’s being made difficult for the public to respond to this technical consultation meant for insiders. Do respond to the GMC Order consultation – deadline 23/6/2026. https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/reforming-the-general-medical-council-legislative-framework
The argument is not that multidisciplinary teams are wrong. It is that patients must not be misled, accountability must not be blurred, and workforce gaps must not be filled by unsafe substitution under the cover of regulatory reform.
The NHS workforce crisis must not be addressed by blurring the distinction between doctors and non-doctor roles. Patients must be able to understand who is treating them, whether that person is a doctor, what they are qualified to do, and who is clinically responsible for their care.
The draft GMC Order is therefore not just a technical regulatory change. It is a patient safety issue. The danger is that the public may see “GMC registered” and assume equivalence with a doctor, even where the practitioner is a physician assistant or physician assistant in anaesthesia. That risk needs to be addressed directly and clearly.
Please act now.
