Dr Emma Runswick

Who Dr Emma Runswick is

Dr Emma Runswick is a resident doctor working in a community mental health team in Greater Manchester and Deputy Chair of BMA Council, one of the four Chief Officers of the BMA. She studied medicine at the University of Manchester and has been an elected member of the BMA's UK Council since 2018, having previously chaired the Medical Students' Conference and the North West Regional Resident Doctors' Committee. Elected Deputy Chair in July 2022, she is the first openly LGBTQ person, the fifth woman, and only the second resident doctor to hold a BMA Chief Officer post. She has been a leading voice on doctor pay restoration, NHS workforce policy, and opposition to the substitution of doctors with non-medical staff, arguing that the NHS risks adopting a 'factory model of care'. She has also spoken prominently on social care reform and its intersection with NHS pressures.

References for this biography

1. 1.Leadership at the BMA – BMA official page — Current role, title, clinical background, historic firsts, and BMA Council membership since 2018
2. 2.Junior doctor elected BMA council deputy chair – BMA News — Election as Deputy Chair in July 2022, priorities on pay restoration and industrial strategy
3. 3.Change of Health Secretary comes at 'critical time', says BMA – BMA Media Centre — Quoted as Deputy Chair of BMA Council on NHS pay disputes and workforce policy, May 2026
4. 4.BMA issues rallying call against unqualified staff working as doctors – BMA — Her public position on doctor substitution and physician associate scope of practice, June 2026
5. 5.BMA responds to the Prime Minister's speech on social care – BMA Media Centre — Quoted on social care reform and its relationship to NHS pressures
6. 6.BMA National Offices – BMA — BMA head office address and postcode: BMA House, Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9JP
7. 7.Emma Runswick (@ERunswickBMA) – X — Verified X account self-identifying as BMA Deputy Chair of Council

Notable achievements

• Elected Deputy Chair of BMA Council in July 2022 — the first openly LGBTQ person and only second resident doctor to hold a BMA Chief Officer post. Source ↗
• Elected to the BMA UK Council in 2018 and re-elected, serving continuously as a council member across multiple terms. Source ↗
• Led BMA public response to the resignation of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in May 2026, calling for resolution of all-specialty NHS pay disputes. Source ↗
• Delivered keynote address at the 2026 BMA Annual Representative Meeting opposing doctor substitution with non-medical staff and calling for government consultation on physician assistant scope of practice. Source ↗

What Dr Emma Runswick has said

• “Staff shortages and workplace cultures "are holding back trainers and trainees alike," adding that doctors deserve to work in environments that are safe, not just survivable.”

  BMA deputy chair · NHS & care workforce/staffing · 30 Sept 2026 · Staff shortages and burnout continue to impact doctor training ↗

• “It is particularly concerning that the child's mother believed her daughter had been seen by a GP when she had in fact been assessed by a physician associate. Patients and families have a right to know who is treating them and whether they are or are not a doctor.”

  BMA deputy chair of council · Children's health · 10 Sept 2026 · Mother thought physician associate was GP before child was given vaginal pessary ↗

• “It was assumed that PPE would only be needed in hospitals, and with symptomatic patients, explaining why our GP colleagues were left with no protection as often asymptomatic patients sought help in their surgeries.”

  BMA council deputy chair · Respiratory (asthma/COPD) · 10 Sept 2026 · GPs having to source own PPE ‘major planning failure’, finds Covid inquiry ↗

• “All NHS staff were 'living in increasing fear of harassment, abuse, violence'.”

  Deputy Chair of the BMA Council and resident doctor working in a community mental health team · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · NHS staff face ‘national emergency’ as patient violence hits 285 incidents a day ↗

• “The charter's commitment to a "zero tolerance" approach to sexual assault and harassment was meaningless without visible action and called for "clarity" on how NHS England holds them to account if they fail to protect their workforce.”

  BMA deputy council chair · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · Charter to tackle sexual harassment across NHS in England has failed, say unions ↗

• “This is a deeply distressing case in which a young child suffered significant and entirely avoidable harm. It is particularly concerning that the child's mother believed her daughter had been seen by a GP when she had in fact been assessed by a physician associate.”

  Deputy Chair of BMA Council · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · Girl, 5, traumatised after physician associate wrongly prescribed vaginal pessary, report finds ↗

Where Dr Emma Runswick has been quoted

1. GP FtP reports rise as GMC sees biggest increase in doctor complaints in 20 yearspulsetoday.co.uk · 30 Sept 2026
2. Staff shortages and burnout continue to impact doctor traininghealthcaretoday.com · 30 Sept 2026
3. Mother thought physician associate was GP before child was given vaginal pessarypulsetoday.co.uk · 10 Sept 2026
4. GPs having to source own PPE ‘major planning failure’, finds Covid inquirypulsetoday.co.uk · 10 Sept 2026
5. NHS staff face ‘national emergency’ as patient violence hits 285 incidents a daytheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
6. Charter to tackle sexual harassment across NHS in England has failed, say unionstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
7. Girl, 5, traumatised after physician associate wrongly prescribed vaginal pessary, report findstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026

Related media coverage

Recent UK press coverage of their topics — not necessarily citing them directly.

• GOC suspends Specsavers practitioners for fraudulent expensesOptician Online
• Joshua Balmer: Former care assistant barred from profession over conviction for assault of a minorBelfast Telegraph
• Stop, shift, supercharge: How to create capacity for the work that matters in the NHSMarsh

Contact & links

• Xhttps://x.com/ERunswickBMApublished here ↗
• Staff pagehttps://www.bma.org.uk/about-us/about-the-bma/how-we-work/leadership-at-the-bma

Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.