# The Medical Profession (Responsible Officers) (Amendment) Regulations 2025, Note: Explanatory note


(This note is not part of the Regulations)
These Regulations amend the Medical Profession (Responsible Officers) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/2841) (“the 2010 Regulations”). The 2010 Regulations establish arrangements for the introduction of “responsible officers” (“ROs”) under the Medical Act 1983. ROs are appointed by designated bodies and have responsibilities relating to the evaluation of the fitness to practise of medical practitioners who work in the organisation. Designated bodies are health care organisations and certain other bodies that are required to nominate or appoint ROs.
Regulation 2(2) makes amendments to the 2010 Regulations in relation to the duty on designated bodies to nominate or appoint ROs. The effect of the amendments is that NHS England, the Department of Health and Social Care and the General Council will all have a duty to nominate or appoint a sufficient number of ROs, and to nominate replacements, where a sufficient number are not already appointed. A “sufficient number” of ROs means the number required to ensure that each RO has the capacity to carry out their responsibilities in accordance with regulation 11 or 13 of the 2010 Regulations.
Regulations 2(4) and 2(6) make related amendments in relation to the responsibilities of ROs, so that where multiple ROs are nominated or appointed, the body may determine the division of responsibilities.
Regulation 2(3) makes amendments in relation to the prescribed connection between medical practitioners and designated bodies. Where a medical practitioner has a “prescribed connection” to a designated body, the RO for that body has responsibilities relating to evaluation of the medical practitioner. The amendments include removing a prescribed connection to the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management and replacing a prescribed connection to the United Kingdom Health Security Agency with a prescribed connection to the Department of Health and Social Care.
Regulation 2(5) substitutes regulation 12 of the 2010 Regulations which prescribes the connections between designated bodies and medical practitioners who are ROs. ROs of any non-departmental public body in England, or any Government department or executive agency of a Government department in England (subject to the exceptions identified) have a prescribed connection with NHS England, rather than with the Department for Health and Social Care. An RO of the designated bodies identified continues to have a prescribed connection with the Department of Health and Social Care. The ROs of the Department of Health and Social Care, the Scottish Ministers and the Welsh Ministers and the National Medical Director of NHS England, have a prescribed connection with the General Council.
The effect of regulation 2(7) is such that the General Council (by virtue of being in Part 1 of the Schedule to the 2010 Regulations) is always required to have an RO.
A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sector is foreseen.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2025/221/note (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/medical-profession-responsible-officers-amendment-regulations-2025/note
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.