Regulating doctors, ensuring good medical practice

The GMC in Northern Ireland - Recent activity

This page contains bulletins about recent GMC activity in Northern Ireland.

End of life treatment and care: Belfast consultation events June 2009

The GMC Northern Ireland office hosted two events on 10 June as part of the consultation process on the new draft guidance, End of life treatment and care: Good practice in decision-making.

The events, which were chaired by Lady Christine Eames, Chair of the GMC's End of Life Care Working Group, provided an opportunity for those with an interest in end of life care, to give their views on the draft guidance and to identify any issues specific to Northern Ireland for further consideration.

The End of life treatment and care: Good practice in decision-making guidance is intended mainly for doctors, but may also help patients and the public, and other health and social care staff, to understand what they can expect from doctors involved in caring for patients who are dying. The consultation is open until 13 July.

GMC at Community Development and Health Network Event

Staff from the GMC Northern Ireland office attended the Community Development and Health Network Event on Saturday 21 March. It was a chance for the team to engage with hard to reach groups such as the LGBT community, ethnic minorities and in particular the Compass Advocacy Group who represent people with learning difficulties.

Rachel Heatley, a new addition to the GMC NI office, attended a series of seminars including a session hosted Malachai O'Hara from The Rainbow Project, an organisation which promotes the health and well-being of Gay and Bisexual men in Northern Ireland.

GMC Roundtable event on Tomorrow's Doctors in Belfast

The GMC Northern Ireland office hosted roundtable consultation seminar on 25 March on the new draft edition of Tomorrow's Doctors. It provided an opportunity for those with an interest in medical education to give their views on the proposed standards and outcomes for tomorrows doctors and to identify any issues specific to Northern Ireland for further consideration.

Tomorrow's Doctors sets standards for knowledge, skills and behaviours of medical graduates and provides a framework for UK medical schools for their own curricula and schemes of assessment. The first edition was published 1993 and it was last reviewed & published 2003.

The fully subscribed event was attended by 23 delegates from a wide range of organisations including Queen's University of Belfast, DHSSPS, BMA (NI), Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency, patient representatives and representatives of health boards and trusts. A number of medical students representing different years within Queen's University Medical School highlighted their views as those being taught under the current provisions.

GMC at Alliance Party Conference

Staff from the GMC Northern Ireland office attended the Alliance Party Conference on Saturday 21 March. The GMC stand was visited by the party leader Mr David Ford MLA and the party health spokesperson Mr Kieran McCarthy MLA and European Parliamentary candidate, Ian Parsley. A wide range of other delegates visited the GMC stand including MLAs, local councillors and a number of doctors.



Alan Walker, GMC Head of Northern Ireland Affairs discussing medical regulation with David Ford MLA, Leader of the Alliance Party at the Alliance Party Conference.