GMC Reference Community
The Reference Community is a group of members of the public (public members) and doctors (professional members).
What does it do?
It acts as a ‘sounding board’ that enables us to access the individual views of its public and professional members on a range of issues.
It is one of a number of ways in which we work with members of the public and doctors, and for example it complements our engagement with organisations representing patients and doctors and the consultations we frequently run when developing new policy or guidance.
How does it work?
It is not a committee and so does not meet all together. Instead, much of the Reference Community’s work is undertaken virtually with either all or a subsection of members being emailed briefings about the development of a new policy or process along with questions concerning key issues which we want to get their individual views about.
Sometimes, we may invite a small group of Reference Community members to come together for a one-off face to face discussion about an issue. This allows us to access opinion resulting from a deliberative process.
From time to time, a Reference Community member may be appointed to a GMC Board or working group for a period of around 12 months and in this case will contribute as a full member of the Board or working group.
What kind of issues does it consider?
From October to December 2009 members of the Reference Community have contributed to our work on a range of issues, including: elements of our fitness to practise processes; a leaflet informing the public about the introduction of the licence to practise for doctors; new scenarios for Good Medical Practice in Action, an interactive web section helping to bring our ethical guidance to life; a review of our Management guidance; and a strategic review of the regulation of postgraduate medical education and training.
Who is on it?
Currently, the Reference Community consists of 27 members of the public and 27 doctors but this may vary over time and it is not necessary for there always to be an equal number of public and professional members.
Reference Community members were appointed in 2009 through an open process as individuals and not as representatives of an organisation. They live and work across the four countries of the UK and come from a range of backgrounds.
Any future opportunities to join the Reference Community will be publicised on our website.
Where can I find out more information?
For more information about the Reference Community, please contact secretariat@gmc-uk.org.