Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps are being taken to (1) significantly reduce, and (2) reform, the amount of regulators and regulatory systems in the health and care sector.

The Government is committed to reforming the system of regulation for healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom, making it faster, fairer, more flexible and less adversarial. A modernised regulatory framework will be introduced first for anaesthesia associates and physician associates, who will be brought into regulation under the General Medical Council by the end of 2024, before the reformed legislation is rolled out to doctors, and to the professions regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Health and Care Professions Council over the following couple of years.

The Care Quality Commission has set out plans to introduce a new single assessment framework for care providers, local authorities, and integrated care systems, which will prevent duplication and provide a consistent and accessible means of ensuring safe and high-quality provision of care at all levels.