Professional Standards Authority

10/09/2026

We welcome these recommendations and the continued collaboration needed to ensure AI supports innovation, while maintaining professional standards and public confidence.

📢AI is already helping the NHS spot serious health problems earlier, from strokes to skin cancers, and giving clinicians more time to spend with patients.

Today, the independent National AI Commission led by practising NHS doctors has published recommendations on how the UK can regulate AI in healthcare so that it stays safe, keeps up with innovation, and continues to earn people's trust.

The recommendations were shaped by the largest ever UK engagement exercise on the regulation of healthcare technology, hearing from more than 12,000 patients, carers, clinicians and experts. People told the Commission they support AI in their care, as long as it's safe, overseen by humans, and they know when it's being used.

Find out what the recommendations could mean for you and your care 🔗 https://brnw.ch/21x5zOJ

10/09/2026

75% of people believe therapists are legally regulated, according to new research by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).

But the reality is therapy is not regulated in the UK. Anyone can call themselves a counsellor or psychotherapist. That’s why it’s crucial to look for the PSA Quality Mark.

It shows the therapist is on a register that has been independently assessed by the Professional Standards Authority against standards designed to support public protection – such as BACPs.

We’re pleased to back the PSA’s Look Before You Book campaign, and we’ll continue to raise awareness of why it’s important to find a therapist on a PSA-accredited register in our own campaigns too.

Find out more 👉 https://orlo.uk/MYTzX

10/09/2026

New recommendations from the National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare set out how regulation should evolve as AI becomes increasingly used across healthcare.

We contributed to the Commission’s work, bringing together professional regulators and the Accredited Registers Collaborative to explore the opportunities and challenges AI presents across many professions. This work has also been informed by research with the University of Bristol into patient and public expectations of AI in health and care.

We welcome the collaborative approach taken by the Commission, the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and other partners, as well as the whole-system perspective reflected in the report's recommendations. As our Director of Policy and Communications, Melanie Venables, said:

“By working together, we can take a preventative approach to regulation that supports innovation while maintaining professional standards.”

We will now consider the report in detail and how it can continue to support a coordinated approach across professional regulation.

Read our full statement: www.professionalstandards.org.uk/news-and-updates/news/psa-welcomes-national-ai-commission-report

09/09/2026

When aesthetic treatments go wrong, the conversation too often focuses on the choices made by the person who received the treatment.

But this can distract from a more important question: does the system do enough to keep people safe?

In a recent Marie Claire UK article, PSA Chair Caroline Corby discusses why responsibility should not fall solely on consumers:

"People should have clear information about risks, but the focus should be on better safeguards and standards, not placing responsibility on the consumer when things go wrong."

Standards can vary significantly, leaving consumers to navigate complex systems without clear information about a practitioner's training, qualifications or accountability. Caroline argues that there are disparities, driven by the higher cost of some safer treatments, which can limit access for people on lower incomes, and by a slow regulatory response that may be partly influenced by perceptions that "women 'bring this on themselves'".

We hope to improve this situation through initiatives such as our Look Before You Book campaign, which helps people find non-surgical cosmetic practitioners who belong to a PSA Accredited Register. This means they are qualified, need to have the right insurance, and have a complaints process you can use if something happens that you're not happy with.

Find out more about Look Before You Book: https://www.professionalstandards.org.uk/index.php/look-mark-cosmetics

Read the article: https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/beauty/what-did-she-expect-the-sexism-and-classism-behind-the-uks-aesthetics-safety-crisis

An under-regulated aesthetics industry leaves consumers to navigate risk alone—then judges them when things go wrong.

08/09/2026

The proportion of PSA appeals involving sexual misconduct-related charges has tripled in recent years, rising from 11% in 2021/22 to 33% in both 2023/24 and 2024/25.

Today we published a new report, to improve handling of sexual misconduct cases in fitness to practise. It brings together learning from our reviews, research, and sector engagement, and offers practical measures to help regulators and Accredited Registers strengthen their approach.

Read the report: www.professionalstandards.org.uk/news-and-updates/news/professional-standards-authority-publishes-new-report-improve-handling-sexual

08/09/2026

Yesterday, Anxiety Josh highlighted the importance of checking whether your therapist is on a PSA Accredited Register.

We're pleased to see this message reaching more people. In the UK, anyone can call themselves a therapist, so taking a few moments to check credentials can make all the difference.



Watch on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dc_e3wvI5UY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&stkn=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
Watch on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com//video/7682822331542064406

07/09/2026

From public awareness campaigns to AI regulation, fitness to practise appeals and performance reviews, it's been a busy few months at the PSA.

Our latest newsletter brings together key updates from across our work. Look out for videos, statistics, infographics, and plenty more.

Read the summer edition here: https://www.professionalstandards.org.uk/news-and-updates/news/e-newsletter-standard

04/09/2026

As we enter a new month, we're also launching a new Hot Topic: Education and training.

Education and training play a vital role in public protection. They help health and care professionals develop and maintain the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to provide safe, effective care.

Throughout September, we'll be exploring how education, training, and continuing professional development support safer care and stronger public confidence in health and care professionals.

03/09/2026

Reaching out for support takes courage – and it's worth making sure you’re reaching out to the right person. Counselling and psychotherapy titles aren't protected by law in the UK, so anyone can use them no matter how much (or little) training and experience they have. The Quality Mark is a simple way to check a practitioner belongs to a register that's government-backed, meaning they meet recognised standards of quality, safety and professionalism.



https://www.professionalstandards.org.uk/look-mark-counselling

03/09/2026

We welcome the General Dental Council (GDC)'s move towards a more principles-based Framework for Professionalism, but there needs to be balance between flexibility and clear expectations for dental professionals.

We think the proposed Framework may need stronger expectations and supporting guidance in key areas, including financial conflicts of interest, sexual misconduct and professional boundaries, complaints handling, equality, diversity and inclusion, and conduct outside professional practice.

We would like the GDC to ensure that key areas of guidance and/or further Expectations are developed and incorporated before the new Framework comes into force, to ensure public protection is upheld.

Click here for our full response: https://www.professionalstandards.org.uk/publications/response-general-dental-councils-consultation-framework-professionalism