UK primary legislation

Medical Act 1983

The most important piece of legislation is the Medical Act. This provides the legal basis for everything that we do. It gives the GMC specific powers and duties to carry out its functions.

View the Medical Act 1983 (consolidated version)

The GMC was first established under the Medical Act 1858. The Act has been updated by Parliament on many occasions since then. This ensures that medical regulation changes to reflect the changing needs of the society within which we work.

The current Act is the Medical Act 1983. The 1983 Act has been amended on a number of occasions since it first came into force, most recently in 2010. The principal changes that have taken place since 2002 are shown in the following amending legislation;

The Medical Act 1983 (Amendment) Order 2002

The Medical Act 1983 (Amendment) and Miscellaneous Amendments Order 2006

The Health Care and Associated Professions (Miscellaneous Amendments) Order 2008

The Medical Professions (Miscellaneous Amendments) Order 2008

The General and Specialist Medical Practice (Education, Training and Qualifications) Order 2010

Health and Social Care Act 2008

The powers and duties that are currently in force are shown in the consolidated version of the Medical Act 1983.

The current Act covers the statutory purpose of the GMC, the governance of the GMC (including how its members are appointed), its responsibilities in relation to the medical education, registration and revalidation of doctors, and for giving guidance to doctors on matters of professional conduct, performance and ethics. The Act also sets out the GMC’s powers and responsibilities for dealing with doctors whose fitness to practise may be impaired.