Regulating doctors, ensuring good medical practice

Views on fairness and the GMC - research

Being fair and objective is crucial to the GMC. To help us understand how doctors think we are doing in this respect, we have commissioned the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) - an independent not-for-profit research organisation - to undertake a study looking at doctors’ views of the GMC.

How will the GMC use this research?

All information and views provided as part of the research will be confidential. Responses from individual doctors will not be linked back to them in any way.

The study, which will consider whether doctors’ views of the GMC differ depending on their ethnicity, will help us to identify if there are improvements we can make to how we work, or if there are changes we could make in the way we communicate with doctors.

How can I take part?

The research has two phases. Firstly, 7 focus groups are taking place across the UK. Criteria have been set for participation in each of these focus groups, to ensure that views are gathered from a wide range of doctors.

The focus groups will help to establish the range of doctors’ views, and will inform the second phase of the research: involve a UK wide survey. Four focus groups will take place in January 2013.

Where and when Criteria for participants

  • Cardiff, 16th January, 7pm. BME doctors practicing for less than 15 years and qualified in the UK
  • Newcastle, 17th January, 7pm. BME doctors practicing for more than 15 years and qualified outside the UK
  • Dundee, 22nd January, 7pm. Non-BME doctors who have been practicing for more than 15 years
  • Glasgow, 23rd January, 7pm. BME doctors, practicing for less than 15 years and qualified outside the UK

Where can I get more information?

If you would like to know more about the research, please contact NatCen:

Email: GMCresearch@natcen.ac.uk

Telephone: 0808 168 1175 (FREEPHONE from landlines)

Web site: NatCen - Views on fairness and the GMC

This leaflet, Views on fairness and GMC (pdf) provides more information.

If you would like to speak to someone at the GMC about the research, please email equality@gmc-uk.org.