Press Round-Up: Regulatory and Professional Discipline – June and July 2025

General Dental Council (GDC)

• The GDC has announced the appointment of Dr Helen Phillips as the new Chair of the GDC. Dr Phillips’ appointment will commence from 1 October 2025.
  
  Dr Phillips will replace Lord Toby Harris when his tenure comes to an end in September 2025.
  
  A copy of the GDC’s announcement can be found here.
   
• The GDC has published analysis of dental care professionals' working patterns.

The analysis shows how dental care professionals work across the UK. Responses were provided by over forty-three thousand dental care professionals, which represents fifty-eight per cent of those on the register.

This report provides information on where dental professionals work, whether they work for the NHS or in private practice, the number of hours they work, as well as whether there is any correlation between working patterns and concerns relating to fitness to practice.

A copy of the complete analysis can be found here.

• On 23 June 2025, the GDC revised their guidance first published in June 2024, on continuing professional development (‘CPD’).

The GDC has recently reviewed the existing CPD scheme, and has revised the guidance documents and webpages that dental professionals use when they come to declare their CPD.

A ‘myth-buster’ document sets out a list of questions and answers which are designed to assist dental professionals when they complete and declare their CPD.

To read the ‘myth-buster’ guidance please click here.

 

General Medical Council (GMC) 

• On 15 July 2025, the GMC published the findings of their National Training Survey. The GMC surveyed over seventy thousand doctors and trainers. 

The survey asked about the escalation of care for the very first time. Twenty-one per cent of those who responded said that they felt that they had hesitated at least once when treating patients in the last twelve months. The survey found that this figure increased to around a third in areas such as surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, and emergency medicine.

A link to the National Training Survey can be found here.

• The GMC has placed a number of conditions on the training in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology department at North Manchester General Hospital, which is part of the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.

The GMC has had concerns about the department, and has been monitoring the training provided in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology team since around November 2022, but unfortunately the department is still not meeting the required standards.

Conditions have been put in place to ensure that the training standards are met, and that patient safety is maintained.

Further information about this can be found here.

 

Architects Registration Board (ARB) 

• On 19 June 2025, the ARB announced the publication of a new version of the Architects Code of Conduct and Practice. This document sets out the professional standards which are expected of all architects in the UK.

The updated Code of Conduct and Practice will come into force from 1 September 2025. It will replace the current Code of Conduct and Practice which has been in force for around eight years.

A copy of the new Code of Conduct and Practice can be found here.

In order to assist architects in terms of interpreting the new Code of Conduct and Practice, the ARB is also publishing a number of supporting guidance documents. A copy of the supporting guidance relating to conflicts of interest, managing finances, raising concerns and whistleblowing can be found here.

• On 10 July 2025, the ARB published its Annual Report and Financial Statements for 2024.

The report was presented to Parliament on 9 July 2025, and it shows how the ARB has conducted its regulatory work as an independent professional statutory body.

2024 was the third year of ARB’s five-year corporate strategy, with some of the most notable developments being the following:

• Launching a new CPD scheme;
• Working on building a positive and inclusive culture; and
• Continuous improvement to regulatory processes.

A copy of the Annual Report and Financial Statements for 2024 can be found here.

 

Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)

• The SRA have published research relating to how smaller law firms may be getting left behind in the age of ever advancing technology.

The research found that sole practitioners and smaller law firms are keen to embrace new technology, but they faced various barriers to introducing and implementing such technology. Sole practitioners, and smaller law firms, stated that their concerns include: the cost of purchasing such technology, finding technology to best suit their needs, and also the risk of investing in technology that may become obsolete in a few years’ time. 

The research also found that smaller law firms are keen to embrace the advent of artificial intelligence, but require more information surrounding it, and what it can actually achieve, in order to use it safely and to the full extent of its capabilities.

A copy of the research summary can be found here.

 

Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)

• In July 2025, the FCA announced that it has set quicker targets for firms and individuals seeking authorisation from the FCA.

The FCA have described these new targets as a ‘package of targets’ which are supposed to speed up the process for firms and individuals seeking authorisation.  

The ‘package of targets’ includes the following:

• Statutory: new firm authorisations to be completed within four months (it is currently six months) for complete applications and ten months for incomplete applications (rather than the current twelve months).
• Voluntary: for applications where a firm is seeking to vary the permission application where the permission closely aligns with the existing business model, the target will reduce to three months for a complete application, and six months for incomplete applications.

You can read more about this here.

 

Financial Reporting Council (FRC)

• On 3 June 2025, the FRC published the UK Stewardship Code 2026. The new code comes into force from 1 January 2026.

The updated code aims to support economic growth and investment, whilst at the same time also reducing the burden of reporting for signatories. The FRC has updated the code in response to feedback provided by signatories.  

A copy of the updated code can be found here.