Professional staff working in health care are registered with and regulated by several statutory bodies: doctors by the general medical council (GMC); dentists by the general dental council; nurses and midwives by the Nursing and Midwifery Council; and pharmacists by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. The General Osteopathic Council regulates osteopaths, and the Health Professions Council regulates thirteen groups: arts therapists, biomedical scientists, chiropodists/podiatrists, clinical scientists, dietitians, occupational therapists, operating department practitioners, orthoptists, paramedics, physiotherapists, prosthetists and orthotists, radiographers and speech and language therapists. It is likely other professions will come under their supervision in future. The Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE), answerable to Parliament, oversees the other bodies to the extent that it reviews their fitness to practice cases, checks how they carry out their functions, advises Ministers and influences national policy.