PSA review finds GCC met 16 of 18 regulatory standards despite ongoing fitness to practise delays

The General Chiropractic Council (GCC) met 16 of the 18 Standards of Good Regulation in its latest annual performance review by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA), with the oversight body highlighting strong performance across most regulatory functions while identifying continuing concerns about fitness to practise timeliness and register accuracy.

The PSA’s 2025/26 review found that the GCC met all standards relating to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), registration, education and training, and most aspects of fitness to practise. The regulator was commended for continuing to address risks of bias and unfairness, updating fitness to practise guidance, and maintaining effective engagement with stakeholders.

However, the GCC failed to meet Standard 10 after the PSA identified that two of three sanctions imposed at final fitness to practise hearings were not recorded on the public register during the review period. The PSA said there were insufficient controls in place to ensure register accuracy, although it noted that the GCC corrected the errors after they were identified and has strengthened its assurance arrangements to prevent a recurrence.

The regulator also did not meet Standard 15 for a third consecutive year due to delays in progressing fitness to practise cases to final hearings. While the PSA reported some improvement in timeliness at earlier stages of the process, it found no material improvement in the overall time taken for cases to reach completion and said the data suggested a potential backlog could be developing at the final hearing stage.

Despite these concerns, the PSA said the issues do not currently appear intractable and acknowledged that the GCC is taking steps to address them. The oversight body has written to the GCC Chair to maintain focus on improving end-to-end timeliness and said it will continue to monitor progress closely.

The review also highlighted several areas of good practice. The PSA praised the GCC’s implementation of its new Code of Professional Practice, which came into effect on 1 January 2026, noting that communications, guidance materials and stakeholder support surrounding its introduction were well received. It also recognised the regulator’s collaborative approach to stakeholder engagement and its work to assure the quality of chiropractic education and training programmes.

Responding to the findings, GCC Chief Executive and Registrar Nick Jones said the organisation remained focused on improving the efficiency of its fitness to practise processes while maintaining public confidence in chiropractic regulation. He welcomed the PSA’s recognition of improvements made during the year and its positive assessment of the regulator’s performance across most areas.

GCC Chair Jonathan McShane described the review as independent assurance that the regulator is committed to high standards and continuous improvement. While acknowledging the areas requiring further attention, he said the report demonstrated strong performance in areas including EDI, stakeholder engagement and the introduction of the new professional standards framework.

The PSA emphasised that meeting a standard indicates satisfactory performance rather than perfection, and said its oversight of the GCC would continue beyond publication of the review, with particular attention given to areas where improvement has been identified.

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