Professional Standards Authority

17/06/2026

🌈 Pride Month: How professional standards have evolved

This Pride Month, we wanted to reflect on how far professional regulation has come, and the role it now plays in protecting people in the LGBTQ+ community.

Not so long ago, same s*x attraction was criminalised in the UK and widely treated as a medical or psychological condition. It was only removed from the World Health Organization (WHO)'s International Classification of Diseases in 1992. This history of pathologizing s*xual orientation has had a lasting impact on how people in the community have been treated.

These attitudes were also reflected in professional regulation. As shared by the General Medical Council (GMC) in their 2024 apology, at least 40 male doctors faced regulatory action in historical cases, for engaging, or attempting to engage, in consensual s*xual activity and intimacy with other men. Eight were struck off the GMC register, with the last erasure taking place in 1966.

Today, the picture is very different.

Modern professional standards place equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) at their core. Regulators increasingly expect professionals to provide inclusive care and to challenge bias. We have embedded EDI into our Standards for regulators and Accredited Registers. We expect the organisations we oversee to promote EDI and take action to reduce inequalities and assure its policies and processes are fair and equitable to all.

This shift is also clear in Fitness to Practise work. EDI is central to our Section 29 assessment process, where we review regulators’ final decisions to ensure they adequately protect the public. Discriminatory behaviour towards patients, colleagues or the public raises serious concerns about a professional’s Fitness to Practise. Regulation is no longer neutral on inclusion; it is a key part of how the public is protected.

However, there is still more to do. NHS England reported last year that people in the LGBT+ community continue to experience health inequalities, including in mental health care, cancer screening and access to primary care services. Dr Michael Brady, National Adviser for LGBT Health, said: “It’s unacceptable that LGBT+ people have a poorer overall experience of health services, which leads to worse health outcomes.”

This highlights the need for continued action. Professional regulation must not be complacent. It must keep strengthening its approach to EDI and recognise the different needs across protected characteristics.

Professional regulation has evolved, and it continues to play an important role in ensuring that everyone is treated with fairness, dignity and respect.

Click below for⬇️
The BBC article relating to the GMC's apology: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-68367790
Our Standards: https://www.professionalstandards.org.uk/publications/standards-regulators-and-accredited-registers-2026
Our Section 29 process: https://www.professionalstandards.org.uk/organisations-we-oversee/our-work-regulators/checking-and-appealing-fitness-practise-decisions
NHS England's work in tackling LGBTQ+ health inequalities: https://www.england.nhs.uk/2025/07/nhs-launches-first-ever-review-to-tackle-lgbt-health-inequalities/

16/06/2026

The minutes from May's Nursing and Midwifery Council - NMC Independent Oversight Group meeting, are now available on our website.

Attendees discussed a range of issues including the status of the 37 recommendations from the Independent Culture Review.

Find out more here:
https://www.professionalstandards.org.uk/publications/nursing-and-midwifery-council-independent-oversight-group-updates

15/06/2026

How is AI really affecting patient care today?

In this blog, Ruth Ajayi reflects on her experience of using AI to advocate for a referral, and considers the wider role AI is playing in healthcare.

From patient perspectives to questions of transparency and equity, the blog explores what needs to be in place to ensure AI works for everyone.

“Patients are not resisting AI; they are asking for it to be safe, transparent and equitable.”

👉 Read more: https://www.professionalstandards.org.uk/news-and-updates/news/artificial-intelligence-healthcare-who-holds-power?fbclid=IwY2xjawSczZFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeekzq7R-tYHJMl1kd-P_1CyOVu0NwLeP5Havlo_m9sThngfx4a7lnv3qLgZQ_aem_5RXCpAAfh5H03UfE6EWXYg

12/06/2026

These are the words of a participant in the Witness to Harm study, which explores the experiences of witnesses involved in fitness to practise processes.

For this week’s Complaints hot topic, we are sharing a blog by Professor Louise Wallace on why customer and personalised care are not good enough, and why a more compassionate approach to complaints handling is needed.

Louise highlights that people going through complaints processes in professional regulation can have experiences similar to witnesses in criminal trials. They may feel disbelieved, be retraumatised, and have to repeat their accounts multiple times.

Findings from the Witness to Harm project underline the importance of taking a trauma‑informed approach. This can help prevent further harm and support people to provide better evidence. It also recognises the wellbeing of frontline staff, who may otherwise experience compassion fatigue.

Read the full blog and recommended principles based on the Witness to Harm findings: https://www.professionalstandards.org.uk/news-and-updates/news/customer-care-personalised-care-its-just-not-good-enough-more-compassion

11/06/2026

‘The future of AI in health and care cannot be shaped by technical expertise alone.’

In a new Patient Safety Learning blog, PSA Policy Advisor Patrick Murphy explains why lived experience matters. It helps us understand how systems really work — and how to improve them.

‘Patients and service users are not just observers of AI policy and regulation, they are essential partners in getting it right.’

To ensure this considered, tackling inequality must be embedded throughout the process — from guidance to implementation.

As AI continues to transform health and care, we must make sure patients and service users are involved every step of the way.

Read more:
https://www.pslhub.org/learn/digital-health-and-care-service-provision/288_artificial-intelligence/383_policy-impact-regulation-and-workforce/384_governance-regulation-and-policy/the-importance-of-bringing-lived-experience-into-the-development-of-guidance-for-ai-use-in-health-and-care-r14395/

10/06/2026

We have responded to the General Dental General Dental Council's (GDC) consultation on revisions to guidance for case examiners, and to the undertakings bank for case examiners.

We are pleased that the guidance addresses discrimination and harassment, especially as this was an area of weakness found in reviews of the GDC's performance.

We do have some concerns about two elements being considered under the same sub-heading, and think dealing with them separately would result in clearer and more comprehensive guidance.

We also think the GDC's approach to the publication of undertakings and warnings, doesn't give sufficient weight to the principle of open justice. In our view, transparent and accessible decisions are key for maintaining confidence in regulators and regulatory processes.

Click for our full response: https://www.professionalstandards.org.uk/publications/response-general-dental-councils-consultation-revisions-guidance-case-examiners-and

10/06/2026

There is less than one week left to share your experience with the Human Givens Institute Ltd (Human Givens College) or the CBT Register UK.

Your feedback will help inform our full assessment, which we carry out every three years.

Please share your views by 15 June 2026:

https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=gqAu-rxK1UWjmFIwQqO9nmDePIkD3lhKqBld-EyDGqdUMVlFRE9QWDIyTE5ERkZJUFBDS1VBQ0FDNiQlQCN0PWcu&route=shorturl

Have you had experience with the Human Givens College or The CBT Register UK?

Every three years, we carry out a full assessment of Accredited Registers against our Standards. We will soon begin the next cycle of assessments as part of the accreditation renewal process for the Human Givens Institute and the CBT Register UK.

Your experience will help inform our assessment.

Share your views by 15 June 2026 here: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=gqAu-rxK1UWjmFIwQqO9nmDePIkD3lhKqBld-EyDGqdUMVlFRE9QWDIyTE5ERkZJUFBDS1VBQ0FDNiQlQCN0PWcu&route=shorturl

09/06/2026

A first-of-its-kind register of domestic abuse risk assessors has moved a step closer to possible accreditation.

DVACT-PAI holds the UK’s only register of expert domestic abuse risk assessors. The register has met Standard One for our Accredited Registers programme, recognising a clear public interest in its accreditation, and enabling it to progress to the next stage of the process.

Domestic abuse risk assessment is complex, specialised work that can have a significant impact on the safety and wellbeing of adults and children. This milestone highlights the important role of expert assessors and the value of strong professional standards in supporting their work.

We will continue working with DVACT-PAI as they prepare their full application.

Read the full decision: https://www.professionalstandards.org.uk/news-and-updates/news/first-its-kind-register-domestic-abuse-risk-assessors-gets-go-ahead-apply-psa

09/06/2026

“I made my complaint very clear. I want action, not words, not... I don't want even the word compensation mentioned. I don’t want any of that. I want someone else to get a better standard of care.”

🔥It’s week two of our Complaints hot topic month🔥

Last year, we published research exploring the barriers and enablers people experience when making a complaint to a health or social care professional regulator. The findings bring together a range of perspectives to better understand what helps – and what gets in the way – when people raise concerns.

Watch this short video to hear directly from some of the voices behind the research.

You can read the full report here:
https://www.professionalstandards.org.uk/publications/barriers-and-enablers-making-complaint-health-or-social-care-professional-regulator

08/06/2026

What are the key challenges facing health and social care across the devolved nations, and how can regulation help address them?

In this blog, PSA Board members Ali Jarvis, Geraldine Campbell and Eleanor Marks share perspectives from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

They look at issues including workforce pressures and digital transformation, and discuss how regulation can make a positive difference.

Read the blog here:

PSA Board members share their insights on regulation and future priorities for the PSA in this blog in the form of a Q&A