The Royal College of Pathlogists has responded to the consultation on reforming the General Medical Council (GMC) legislative framework for how medical practitioners, physicians assistants and physician assistants in anaesthesia are regulated across the UK. 

While the College supports the GMC’s aim of creating a more flexible and efficient regulatory system, the response emphasises that reforms must continue to uphold high standards in specialty training and protect the integrity of specialist recognition in a way that supports both patient safety and the medical workforce. 

This joint consultation on behalf of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the Scottish ministers, covers the full range of functions of the GMC. The College response focuses on the aspects of the review of most relevance to the College and its membership. The response was informed by feedback from Specialty Advisory Committees and the Trainees’ Advisory Committee.

Read the full response below. 

In our response, we highlight the importance of:  

• medical practitioners continuing to be represented within GMC governance structures and remaining central to its decision-making – particularly given the GMC’s proposed expanded responsibilities across education, training, specialty recognition, and registration. 
• continued independent oversight and scrutiny of the GMC to provide assurance that it is carrying out its functions effectively 
• maintaining a formally-recognised role for medical royal colleges in specialty training – emphasising that a profession-led approach is essential for maintaining high-quality training and public confidence 
• overseas education and training programmes being supported by rigorous and transparent quality assurance processes, that demonstrably meet standards equivalent to those required within the UK 
• preserving important distinctions about doctors’ training, skills and scope of practice – including clear, legally defined titles – preserving clarity for patients, employers and regulators about doctors’ specialist qualifications and experience 
• considering the impact on smaller specialties, as a more centralised approach and move to a single-register system risks disadvantaging specialties whose training requirements may be less visible within a national regulatory framework.  

The future framework must strike the right balance between flexibility and consistency – allowing the GMC to respond to individual circumstances while providing clarity and reassurance for patients and doctors that clear, trusted and professionally grounded standards for specialist medical practice are in place.  

The College remains committed to working collaboratively with the GMC and other stakeholders across the system to support high-quality, safe, and sustainable care in pathology.