Court gives us the go-ahead
Mr Justice Chamberlain, the Lead High Court Judge dealing with judicial review cases, has cut through the red tape in our legal challenge. The case has now passed the first legal hurdle and been granted … Read more
New Year, New Rules, New Obligations
Just before Xmas the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) issued its updated Scope of Practice for Anaesthesia Associates (AAs). A much-needed revision; it is a thorough and well-researched document setting out clear rules for what … Read more
Guess who is paying their legal costs!
As the costs of our legal case mount, fighting the GMC to ensure that safe and legal practice measures for Physician Associates and Anaesthesia Associates are in place, we have been wondering where the GMC … Read more
Coroner – please clarify
In their replies to the coroner, following the inquest into the tragic death of Susan Pollitt, the General Medical Council (GMC) and the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) expose a stark divide on the issue … Read more
A lot of changes need to happen
To mark what should have been Emily Chesterton’s 32nd birthday her parents arranged a memorial concert. Many of her friends, family and colleagues were there. We asked them for their thoughts about Physician Associates, and … Read more
BMA offers us financial support
We are pleased to announce that the British Medical Association (BMA) has offered us crucial financial support to help us, together with the Chesterton family, in our legal fight over Physician Associates and Anaesthesia Associates … Read more
Pharmacists’ Defence Association supports our action
The Pharmacists Defence Association (PDA) has published a blog from their Chair, supporting our legal action. Pharmacists face some of the same problems that we do, with new groups of workers being used to ‘beef … Read more
Bereaved families to join our legal case over Physician Associate supervision
It has been announced today in the Mail on Sunday that our legal case against the GMC has been joined by two families who have suffered tragic bereavements following care delivered by Physician Associates (PAs). … Read more
Doctors Association donate £30,000
DAUK donates to landmark legal challenge against the GMC and calls on royal colleges to follow suit The Doctors’ Association UK (DAUK) is calling on royal colleges to follow their lead and donate financial support … Read more
Its out – RCoA issue draft Scope of Practice for Consultation
After an incredible amount of work, led by the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) with input from the Association of Anaesthetists and the specialist societies, the Anaesthesia Associate (AA) Scope of Practice has been published … Read more
The Physician Associate Podcast interview
This week James Catton of the Physician Associate podcast interviews Richard Marks. They discuss the background to the the legal dispute with the GMC, how it is being funded and the goals it hopes to … Read more
The Physician Associate Scandal
Our latest video features Helen Salisbury and Richard Marks explaining why we are pursuing legal action against the GMC. No national scope of practice. No national standards for supervision. No national process for getting consent. … Read more
Where are the Colleges?
Setting a national scope of practice for Physician Associates and Anaesthesia Associates (PAs and AAs) is the aim of our legal action. Alongside that we are calling for standard levels of supervision and processes for … Read more
An evasion of responsibility
The GMC’s response to our Letter Before Action is a disgrace – a blatant evasion of responsibility. What AAs and PAs can safely do, whether patients are to be told they are not being treated … Read more
Why donate to our legal case?
We are grateful to over 2600 pledgers providing over £85,000 to our campaign. We still have some way to go, but the key mission we need to achieve is to break the campaign to the … Read more
The £500,000 question in healthcare
We have released a short video to explain quickly, and to a non-medical audience, what our judicial review is about, and why both patients and doctors are uniting to support this. As the legal case … Read more
GMC refuse to mediate
Most sensible people would think that, when a regulator faces a serious legal claim about the public interest in robust regulation of new professions whose work inevitably involves risks to patients, the regulator would be … Read more
The coroners verdict – risk of future deaths
A Manchester Coroner has served a Regulation 28 to the GMC and Department of Health, citing many concerns regarding the tragic death of a patient. One of her key concerns is the lack of a … Read more
GMC acting unlawfully, say our lawyers
Our lawyers have written to the General Medical Council (GMC) to say they have acted unlawfully, by failing to set safe and lawful practice measures for AAs and PAs. We are seeking legal challenge on … Read more
Legal Case Update 3/7/24
We held a very productive meeting today with our full legal team at Blackstones. We discussed many of our concerns about the way in which the GMC has introduced regulation for Anaesthesia Associates and Physician … Read more
AU + BMA v GMC
In an exciting development, the BMA are now planning their own legal action against the GMC over the way that the regulation for Physician Associates (PAs) and Anaesthesia Associates (AAs) is being conducted. They are … Read more
Progress report 18/6/24
Thank you for all the donations you have made to our campaign Stop misleading patients – Physician Associates cannot replace doctors. We have been fundraising for 16 days and so far have reached just over … Read more
Are you voting to replace doctors?
The press have termed them fake doctors. Their correct titles are Physician Associates and Anaesthesia Associates (PAs and AAs). And as the public gradually becomes aware of the scale and gravity of the situation, now … Read more
GMC Legal Challenge
The General Medical Council was given powers under the Medical Act 1983 to regulate doctors and protect the public from those falsely claiming to be qualified when they are not. But instead, we have watched … Read more
So Associates are what, exactly?
In March we wrote to the GMC to say that it should cease referring to AAs and PAs as ‘members of the medical professions’, ‘medical professionals’, and in ‘medical practice’. We also called for: The … Read more
GMC Consultation – Scope of Practice and Consent
Anaesthetists United response to the current GMC Consultation on Associates highlights the failure of the GMC to consult on scope of practice – arguably one of the most contentious issues in the entire debate. We … Read more
The RCoA Survey results
“Anaesthesia Associates are basically a solution without a problem. We need more anaesthetists who can do the work needed.” The results of an independent survey, commissioned by the Royal College of Anaesthetists by ‘Research By … Read more
Charity commission to reopen GMC enquiry
The Charity Commission has agreed to reopen the enquiry into whether or not the GMC have breached their charitable objectives by taking on the regulation of anaesthesia and physician associates. It follows on from our … Read more
Bad regulatory practice
Today we have written an open letter to the GMC setting out how its approach to the regulation of AAs and PAs blurs the lines with doctors and constitutes a failure to fulfil its legal … Read more
College calls for a pause in recruitment of Associates
The Royal College of Anaesthetists has announced today that it is writing to clinical leaders to request a pause in the recruitment of Anaesthetic Associates. The motions that were passed at the EGM last year … Read more