General Medical Council

About us

We work with doctors, physician associates, anaesthesia associates, those they care for and other stakeholders to support good, safe patient care across the UK.

The General Medical Council regulates doctors, anaesthesia associates (AAs) and physician associates (PAs) in the United Kingdom. They set standards, hold a register, quality assure education and investigate complaints.

The GMC began to regulate PAs and AAs from 13 December 2024. This change was introduced through legislation called the Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates Order (AA and PA Order). The decision to regulate AAs and PAs was made by the Government.

Registration and licensing

We make sure that every doctor, physician associate (PA) and anaesthesia associate (AA) has the right knowledge, skills, qualifications and experience to work across the UK. Here you can search or join our registers, manage your registration or find information about registration.

• About our registers

Join our registers

Get all the advice, applications and support you need to join our registers.

• How to join our registers