Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the Professional Standards Authority regarding the extent to which Duty of Candour principles are embedded in the conduct of i) General Medical Council ii) Health and Care Professions Council.

The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA) oversees the 10 statutory bodies that regulate healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom and social workers in England. This includes the General Medical Council (GMC) and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

It scrutinises the work of the regulatory bodies by monitoring and reporting on their performance against its Standards of Good Regulation, auditing decisions made during investigations into complaints about registrants’ practise, and making referrals or appeals to the relevant court if it considers that a final fitness to practise decision is insufficient to protect the public. In its 2024/25 performance review assessments, the PSA reported that the HCPC had met 17 out of 18 Standards of Good Regulation and the GMC had met all 18 standards.

Professional regulators are not subject to the statutory Duty of Candour, which applies to health and social care providers, nor to the professional Duty of Candour, which applies to individual registrants. However, the PSA expects regulators to operate in ways that reflect the principles underpinning the Duty of Candour, including openness, transparency, and accountability. In line with the Ministerial Code, details of all ministerial meetings, including those with the PSA, are published quarterly on the GOV.UK website, at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-overseas-travel-and-meetings

In January, I met with the PSA to discuss how it carries out its oversight role and the PSA’s new Standards for regulators and Accredited registers. The updated standards will strengthen requirements on regulators and Accredited Registers with regards to public protection, learning, and improvement. The new standards will also strengthen expectations that regulators’ governing bodies and senior leaders promote openness, transparency, and learning, including how organisations respond when things go wrong and how they maintain public confidence through clear accountability and reporting.

Officials from the Department hold regular meetings with the PSA to discuss all aspects of its work.