TO BE PUBLISHED December 2025
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This conference will focus on the future of professional healthcare regulation in the UK, with discussion on structures, responsibilities and coordination in light of widespread NHS reform, looking at implications for accountability, standards and system-wide oversight.
It will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to examine ongoing developments and next steps for reform affecting the main regulatory bodies. Areas for discussion include lessons learnt from the regulation of physician and anaesthesia associates, as well as issues emerging from consultations on registration systems, revisions to professional codes and standards, and changes to how regulatory performance is assessed.
Delegates will also asses key issues in the context of implementing the NHS Management and Leadership Framework, objectives outlined in the NHS 10-Year Health Plan, the Review of patient safety across the health and care landscape independent report, refreshment of the NHS workforce plan, and the transition of NHS England functions to the Department of Health and Social Care.
Sessions will look at what will be needed from new frameworks to support the role of regulation in both public protection, and professional practice, as well as how new approaches can be integrated across clinical and non-clinical roles. Regulatory design and implementation will also be discussed, including key considerations for assessment protocols, as well as responsibilities for enforcement and compliance as ongoing policy reform progresses under the DHSC and its associated regulatory authorities.
Further sessions assess how frameworks can be aligned to promote consistency and proportionality, support safe and effective care, and ensure that regulatory systems are practical and sustainable. Delegates will examine priorities for workforce education and training, as well as the use of AI in day-to-day practice, and potential implications this may have on accountability and liability arguments. With the NHS Management and Leadership Framework due to be published soon, and the NHS 10-Year Health Plan announcing increased managerial freedom and pay reward powers, we expect discussion on coordination between professional and managerial regulation, implications of reform for workforce confidence and culture, and how regulatory design can contribute to leadership development and service improvement.
Discussion is also expected on legal and financial structures underpinning reform, including how future oversight can be organised, how costs are met, and how professional obligations are balanced with system accountability.
With the agenda currently in the drafting stage, overall areas for discussion include:
- implementation: consultation and legislative options - implications for statutory regulators - impact of instances of delayed reform - reform sequencing and managing stakeholder expectations
- learning from recent regulatory changes: evidence from PA and AA oversight - relevance for wider application - risks and advantages of the new regulatory regime
- regulatory coordination across systems: interaction between sector regulators - areas of duplication or inconsistency - links to NHS workforce development and oversight structures
- mental health and wellbeing in fitness to practice systems: impact of current processes on healthcare staff - integration of learning into investigations - supporting safety and welfare
- protected professional titles: legal implications - impact of title protection for nurse and others - responsibilities for enforcement and compliance - roles of registrants and service providers
- managers and senior leaders: accountability mechanisms for non-clinical roles - role of professional oversight in organisational culture and patient safety - responses to recent case reviews
- fairness and proportionality: approaches to reduce unnecessary referrals - safeguards for diverse workforce groups - support for individuals facing investigation
- public confidence: supporting trust in regulators and professional oversight - transparency in decision-making - responding to reputational risks and scrutiny
