Press Round Up: Regulatory and Professional Discipline August 2026

• The GMC’s CEO Charlie Massey gave a speech on 2 July 2026 at Pulse Live, Cardiff in which he addressed “some of the myths and realities” of the GMC’s fitness to practise processes and sought to explain the steps taken by the GMC to build trust in those processes; he mentioned the number of complaints against General Practitioners which did not lead to fitness to practise investigations, and described the GMC’s “provisional enquiries” which allow for targeted information-gathering and a quicker resolution to complaints. He also addressed the government consultation into reform of the GMC’s underpinning legislation.
• The GMC published its response to the Department of Health and Social Care consultation (mentioned in the last press round-up); the GMC’s response is broadly positive and praises the increased flexibility, proportionate responses, streamlined and accessible registration framework, and greater transparency offered by the changes. However, it also suggests some additions to the draft legislation, most notably in respect of the information to be published about warnings and registration measures, as well as asking for the power to enforce requests for information by Court order.
• The GMC published its statistics for fitness to practise concerns for doctors during 2025, reporting a 25% increase in the number of concerns assessed as part of the GMC’s triage process, with 184 cases referred by the case examiners to an independent tribunal; 90% of cases brought to a tribunal during the year involved either misconduct, such as dishonesty or sexual misconduct, criminal convictions, or both, rather than clinical concerns.

• New standards were approved for the initial education and training of pharmacy technicians, considering a detailed analysis of the 880 responses that the GPhC received to the consultation from individuals and organisations across Great Britain.
• The GPhC urged the public to always check that online pharmacies are registered and supported recommendations by the Health Services Safety Investigations Board (HSSIB) investigation into Online Prescribing. The GPhC noted that there is a gap in regulation in relation to some online services, which nevertheless use pharmacists or pharmacy technicians to provide services, and agreed that independent prescribing organisations should have access to appropriate NHS records.

• The NMC announced that it will launch a public consultation on a new draft Code and a refreshed revalidation process. The consultation will run from September to December and will consult on a series of proposals to strengthen expectations in the Code on anti-discrimination, public protection and safety considerations including safeguarding and other areas such as inappropriate access to patient records; working cultures and wellbeing of registrants; professional accountability; professional behaviours including behaviour outside of professional practice, and safe and effective use of digital and other technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI).
• A reminder was issued about the confidentiality of patient records and that accessing records without a legitimate reason is wholly unacceptable and risks undermining the trust that patients place in health and care professionals.
• On 15 July 2026 the NMC published its Annual Report and Accounts for 2025-2026, reflecting on key milestones from the year, and noting that fitness to practise cases were being resolved at the fastest rate since late 2020 despite increasing numbers of referrals, although they acknowledged that there was more to do to deliver a timely, fair and compassionate service.

• The HCPC has announced it has commissioned research into how registrants across its 15 professions are using artificial intelligence (AI) in practice. In early August, Ipsos UK will invite a sample group of HCPC registrants across all professions to take part in a short confidential survey; Ipsos UK have also hosted a series of focus groups and will conduct in-depth interviews.  The aim is to publish new information in the Autumn to help registrants use new technologies such as AI safely and ethically.
• The HCPC announced that it had met 16 of the 18 Standards of Good Regulation in its performance review by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care, for 2025; it experienced a 41% increase in the number of concerns raised about registrants. Standard 15 (relating to the timeliness of progressing cases) and Standard 18 (ensuring that people involved in complaints and investigations are properly informed and supported throughout the process) were not met, and the HCPC said that work to address this is already underway.

• The GOC has published updated Hearings and Indicative Sanctions guidance, in response to feedback received. This includes a clear definition of hearsay (including examples); an explanation of factors that might support vulnerable witnesses in providing best evidence; a clearer and more balanced approach to dishonesty; clarification to better reflect circumstances when Review hearings might be required, and clear definitions to distinguish between sexual harassment and sexual motivation.  The updated guidance will apply to all hearings from 20 July 2026.
• The GOC has launched a consultation on a proposed update on when an optometrist may delegate some parts of a sight test to a “suitably trained person”; this is aimed to better reflect modern clinical practice. The GOC also is consulting on changes which would allow for the separation of elements of the sight test by time, person or place, to reflect developments in technology and new formats of sight testing.  The consultation is open for 14 weeks, closing on 21 October 2026, and responses can be submitted via the consultation hub.

• The GDC published its annual Fitness to Practise Statistical Report for 2025. As with other regulators, a significant increase in the number of complaints was reported (26% more concerns received in 2025), and the report acknowledged a commitment to less adversarial ways of handling concerns and the need to resolve them quickly and proportionately, to reduce the impact of investigations on dental professionals’ mental health and wellbeing.  The report stated that the time taken to complete cases was reduced “at every stage of the FtP process”. A full version of the report is available.
• The GDC has launched a consultation on proposals to replace the Standards for the Dental Team (known as the “Silver Book”) with a new Framework for Professionalism, which sets out four Principles of Professionalism, supported by Expectations, statutory Professional Guidance, and practical resources such as case studies, blogs and videos. The stated aim of the change is to “make it easier to apply professional judgment confidently in practice, in patients’ best interests”.  The consultation runs until 31 August 2026 and is open to dental professionals, patients and the wider public in the UK.

• SWE are another regulator reporting a significant increase in complaints in the year 2025; the Annual Report recorded an increase of 38% compared to 2024; however, SWE also conducted research to understand the reasons for the increase in referrals (including an increase in the percentage of referrals coming from members of the public from 66% in 2024 to 72% in 2025). Research was conducted in 2025 into the emerging use of AI in social work education and practice, and into the concept of “seriousness” in fitness to practise, within a social work context.
• SWE announced the launch of a new service aimed at providing independent emotional support for people involved in its fitness to practise process – social workers under investigation, complainants, witnesses, and their family members.

• The SRA have launched a public consultation on additional rules on how firms should handle complaints, with a focus on ensuring firms make information on their complaints processes clearer and easier to access. The proposed new rules cover a requirement for firms to communicate timescales for resolution and provide regular updates on the progress of a complaint, and an intention to publish a “Complaints Handling Requirements Statement”, so that firms have a clear indication in one place about what they must do.  The consultation runs until 1 September 2026.
• The SRA is also consulting on new proposals, along with the publication of new guidance for solicitors and law firms, in relation to the use or arrangement of third-party litigation funding. Specific proposals include a requirement to notify the SRA when a firm uses or arranges third-party litigation funding, the production and retention of a third-party litigation funding risk assessment, and to provide clients with summary documents before they sign a third-party funding agreement.  The SRA is developing and testing a range of onboarding materials and resources, designed to help consumers better understand costs, risks and available options at an early stage.  The consultation is open until 17 September 2026.

• The BSB has published Version 5.0 of its Handbook. Changes relate to first-tier complaints handling arrangements (including a requirement for chambers, BSB-regulated entities and sole practitioners to collect and submit first-tier complaints data annually); requirements where serious misconduct relates to bullying, harassment or sexual harassment; and clarification that the professional duties of honesty, integrity and independence are separate obligations and must each be upheld in their own right.
• The BSB and Bar Council also reached agreement on a protocol for handling reports of bullying, harassment and sexual harassment at the Bar. This sets out the procedure for the referral and handling of such reports; support to be given where concerns don’t meet the threshold for regulatory action; and clarification that victims of bullying, harassment or sexual harassments are not obliged to make a report (as barristers are otherwise under a duty to report serious misconduct by others).

• The FRC’s revised Audit Enforcement procedure came into effect from 1 July 2026. The FRC aims for the procedure to achieve a “more integrated regulatory approach which aligns its supervisory, investigatory and enforcement activity more closely”.
• In its Annual Enforcement Review 2026, the FRC set out data on its enforcement activity and reported on specific examples of cases which had concluded in the year preceding. Looking forward, the FRC emphasises (in a theme reflected across regulators’ annual reports) the need for proportionate, rigorous enforcement activity while achieving more timely outcomes, as well as anticipating “extensive scrutiny by us in the year ahead of the use of AI” in financial reporting, audit and actuarial work.

• The FCA launched a nationwide car finance campaign to raise awareness of how to make a complaint for free through the FCA.
• The FCA reported on its “Supercharged Sandbox” which provides a safe venue for firms such as Scottish Widows and the Money Advice Trust to explore AI and test solutions designed to enable safer agent-led payments and commerce, detect fraud and economic crime more effectively, strengthen AI governance and accountability, widen access to financial services for vulnerable and underserved consumers, and streamline compliance and business automation.

• As with many other regulators at this stage of the year, the ARB published its Annual Report and Financial Statements. The Report reflects on a year of “substantial reform across architectural education, professional standards and regulator services”, and referred to reforms to the routes into the profession as well as the introduction in September 2025 of a new Architects Code of Conduct and Practice.

Laura Vignoles is a Senior Associate (Barrister) responsible for leading investigations across the full range of fitness to practise cases brought by the Teaching Regulation Agency and the Education Workforce Council of Wales, covering matters of fraud and examination malpractice, safeguarding concerns, sexual misconduct and inappropriate behaviour, bullying and intimidation, and criminal convictions.

Shannett Thompson is a Partner in the Regulatory Team and is the firm’s Training Principal. She trained in the NHS and commenced her career exclusively defending doctors. She provides regulatory advice predominantly in the health and social care and education sectors.