In her ruling, High Court Judge Mrs Justice Lambert sided with the GMC and dismissed all the BMA's three claims, which covered the GMC's use of the term ‘medical professionals' to describe both PAs and trained doctors in its standards document titled ‘Good Medical Practice', which it claims blurs the boundaries between PAs and real doctors.

Professor Phil Banfield, chair of BMA council, said: ‘This is a disappointing ruling from the High Court. Physician associates do not study medicine and are trained to a very different standard to doctors. By labelling both doctors and PAs as ‘medical professionals' the public are being misled to think they are similarly or equally qualified. They are not. Having ruled on the legal technicalities the Court has ignored common sense, and the effect will be to perpetuate the patient safety issues caused by this confusion.'

In response, Charlie Massey, chief executive and registrar of the GMC, said: ‘We are pleased the court has recognised that our decision to produce our guidance in the form of a single set of core standards for all three professions we regulate was a logical and lawful decision to reach, and one which followed an exhaustive and detailed process of consultation, research and inquiry which engaged all major stakeholders, including the BMA.

‘Our approach, in publishing a single set of core standards, is consistent with what we heard during the consultation period, as well as with that of other multi-profession healthcare regulators.  The judge concluded that PAs and AAs following the same professional standards as doctors was logical, and that in doing so the GMC had acted at all stages to further patient safety.

‘This comprehensive judgment also finds that there is nothing irrational or inherently confusing about the use of the term "medical professionals" as a collective term in this context.'