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Health Services

Asked by Jayne KirkhamLabour (Co-op)Department of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 13 January 2026UIN 104043

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when guidance on clinical delegation will be published.

Answered by Karin Smyth

The regulators of registered healthcare professionals, including the General Medical Council (GMC) and the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), are independent of the Government, are directly accountable to Parliament, and are responsible for operational matters concerning the discharge of their statutory duties. The United Kingdom’s model of healthcare professional regulation is founded on the principle of regulators operating independently from the Government.

The GMC has published the guidance ‘Delegation and referral’ while the NMC has published its guidance ‘Delegation and accountability’. Both regulators expect their registrants to follow the appropriate guidance when delegating clinical work.

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