Health assessment process

About health assessments

If you are referred to the GMC because someone believes your health may be putting patient safety at risk – or you come to us yourself - we may ask you to have a health assessment.

A health assessment is one part of a wider investigation into your fitness to practise and will help us to understand any health concerns before considering what, if any, measures will be needed to protect patients.

The assessment will involve an examination of your physical or mental health by two doctors selected by the GMC. The doctors carrying out the examination will prepare a report covering:

• a diagnosis using an internationally recognised classification system (ICD10 or DSM4).
• whether you are fit to practise either generally, on a limited basis, or not at all.
• any recommendations about the management of your case.

Recommendations may include allocating a medical supervisor to report on your progress or attending a support group to deal with substance misuse. Some doctors refuse to have their health assessed or to cooperate with the assessment process. 

In these circumstances, the case is referred to a fitness to practise panel to consider whether the doctor's fitness to practise is affected and whether action is required to restrict the doctor’s practice. Fitness to practise hearings are held at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS). The MPTS is part of the GMC, but is operationally separate from the GMC’s investigation function.

Frequently asked questions

A doctor who plays a role in the health assessment process provides the answers in our Frequently asked questions - doctor to doctor section.

International classification systems

The World Health Organisation website contains the international statistical classification of diseases and related health problems, 10th revision - known as ICD 10. 

DSM 4 is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and includes all currently recognised mental health disorders. The next edition is being consulted on (DSM 5) and is scheduled to be released in 2012 or 13. View the online manual.