Special Educational Needs: support in England
An overview of the current system of support for children and young people with special educational needs, and pressure on the system. Updated with new 2024-25 SEND incidence and EHC plan data

House of Commons Library briefing on professional regulation in health and social care
Professional regulation in health and social care (297 KB , PDF)
Professional regulation plays a vital role in setting and enforcing the standards of professional behaviour, competence and ethics underpinning the day-to-day interactions patients and the public have with the NHS and the variety of other health and social care services within the UK.
The system of professional regulation in the UK existed long before the NHS was created in 1948 and remains independent of Government. In the UK, nine professional regulators regulate 32 healthcare professions by law, with many more professionals on voluntary registers. These bodies are responsible for setting, checking and enforcing the professional standards of care patients in the UK should receive, and in ensuring healthcare professionals of the future are equipped with the right skills, qualities and experience.
This House of Commons Library briefing describes the main functions of these professional regulators in more detail, along with some of the prominent debates surrounding this area of health policy as well as the case for reform.
Regulators vary in their policies, functions and operations so the focus of this briefing is on the largest regulators: the General Medical Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the Health and Care Professionals Council, the General Dental Council and the General Pharmaceutical Council.
While health is a devolved matter, the system of professional regulation generally operates UK-wide. An explanation of this UK-wide approach is set out on page 9.
Professional regulation in health and social care (297 KB , PDF)
An overview of the current system of support for children and young people with special educational needs, and pressure on the system. Updated with new 2024-25 SEND incidence and EHC plan data
This briefing focuses on two disease-modifying dementia drugs that are currently being appraised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE): lecanemab and donanemab
A debate on children's health is scheduled to take place in the House of Commons Chamber on Thursday 10 July 2025. The subject for the debate was determined by the Backbench Business Committee, and the debate will be led by Dr Simon Opher MP.