TO BE PUBLISHED November 2026
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This conference will examine next steps for professional healthcare regulation in the UK, in the context of proposals to reform the General Medical Council’s legislative framework. Areas for discussion include implementation of regulatory reform, fitness-to-practise and case resolution, registration and workforce change, regulatory governance and oversight, and professional standards and public confidence.
It will bring together key stakeholders and policymakers to discuss the Draft General Medical Council Order 2026 and priorities arising from the Government’s consultation on Reforming the General Medical Council legislative framework. Delegates will consider the proposed changes to the GMC’s powers, processes and accountability arrangements, their practical implications for regulated professionals and healthcare organisations, and how the approach taken might inform wider reform of professional healthcare regulation.
Regulatory reform & fitness to practise
Sessions will assess approaches to making fitness-to-practise processes more timely, proportionate and less adversarial, alongside considerations relating to procedural fairness, evidential robustness and public protection. Discussion is expected on early case assessment and resolution, employer referrals and information-sharing, the handling of historic concerns, and the respective roles of regulators, employers and tribunals.
Attendees will also consider proposed changes to appeal and oversight arrangements, including the roles of the GMC and the Professional Standards Authority in challenging tribunal decisions. Wider issues include regulatory independence, consistency of decision-making, accountability between government, regulators and oversight bodies, and the implications of increased autonomy and rule-making powers.
Registration & workforce roles
Further discussion will examine registration and assurance processes, including arrangements for international medical graduates, and the implications of proposals for greater regulatory flexibility for the consistency and operation of standards. Delegates will consider implementation of relevant recommendations from the Leng Review, including changes to professional titles and issues relating to supervision, delegation, scope of practice and clarity for patients within multidisciplinary teams.
Professional standards & confidence
The conference will also examine evolving expectations around professional conduct, including proposals arising from Lord Mann’s review into antisemitism and other forms of racism in healthcare. Areas for consideration include misconduct thresholds, digital professionalism and social media use, consistency and proportionality in regulatory action, and approaches to maintaining confidence in professional regulation among patients, the public and regulated professionals.
Overview of areas for discussion
- reform sequencing: implementation of the Draft GMC Order 2026 - subsequent reform of the NMC, HCPC and other professional regulators - priorities for consultation, rule-making and transitional arrangements
- regulatory powers: the scope and use of increased autonomy and rule-making powers - arrangements for parliamentary, governmental and PSA oversight - learning from early implementation
- registration: entry and assurance arrangements across different registrant groups - evidential requirements and processing capacity for international medical graduates - consistency, accessibility and public confidence
- case management: thresholds for referral, investigation and escalation - voluntary resolution and senior decision-making - co-ordination between regulators, employers, defence organisations and local processes
- appeals: the operation of GMC and PSA appeal powers - substantive and interim tribunal decisions - implications for independence, delay, cost and confidence in decision-making
- system governance: the respective responsibilities of government, regulators, tribunals, employers and professional bodies - clinical input into governance - accountability and escalation across the regulatory system
- workforce roles: implementation of changes to physician associate and anaesthesia associate titles - guidance on supervision, delegation and boundaries of practice - responsibilities of regulators, employers and royal colleges
- conduct standards: application of misconduct and impairment thresholds - sanctions, publication and consistency of outcomes - professional conduct in digital and non-clinical settings
- delivery capacity: workforce and resource pressures within regulators - management of backlogs and transitional demands - digital systems, data-sharing and reduction of administrative duplication
