Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to protect anaesthetist as a professional title.

The Government recognises that the protection in law of certain professional titles is important for public safety. Protecting a title provides assurance to the public that someone using that title is competent and safe to practise.

The title anaesthetist is not protected in law in the United Kingdom. Section 49 of the Medical Act 1983 currently protects the titles physician, doctor of medicine, licentiate in medicine and surgery, bachelor of medicine, surgeon, general practitioner, apothecary, and any name, title, addition, or description implying that a person is registered with the General Medical Council (GMC).

The Government has set out its intention to reform the legislative frameworks of all healthcare professional regulators, starting with the GMC. The Government is aiming to consult on draft GMC legislation by the end of this year and it expects to lay the legislation during this Parliament. The Government will review current protection of title offences including those concerning professions regulated by the GMC as part of this work.