As reported by Nation Cymru, the leader of the British Medical Association (BMA) has called for a new independent regulator, claiming the existing one is “failing to protect patients and support doctors”.
Professor Philip Banfield, chairman of council at the BMA, is expected to warn that the General Medical Council (GMC), the current regulator for doctors and some other medical professionals, has become an “abject failure” in his speech at the doctors’ union’s annual meeting in Liverpool on Monday.
The BMA has long criticised the GMC for its inclusive use of the term “medical professionals” to describe all those it regulates – namely doctors, physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs). The union argues that this terminology blurs the distinction between doctors and non-doctors, undermining public clarity and professional identity.
In April, the BMA lost a High Court challenge against the GMC’s approach to regulating associate roles. Following the verdict, the GMC welcomed the court’s decision, stating that its single set of standards for doctors, PAs and AAs was both “logical and lawful.”
At the annual meeting, the BMA will call for the creation of a new regulator focused exclusively on doctors, with a clear statutory duty to protect the public. The proposal follows a recent survey conducted by the union, in which more than 1,400 doctors were polled. An overwhelming 82.2% of respondents said they would support the establishment of a new, doctor-only watchdog.
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