Regulating doctors, ensuring good medical practice

Consultation on Good practice in prescribing medicines and devices

29 June 2011

The GMC recently consulted on draft guidance Good practice in prescribing and managing medicines and devices. This updates Good practice in prescribing medicines (2008) and provides guidance on the medicines-related topics most frequently raised by doctors contacting the GMC for advice as well as issues featured in fitness to practice investigations.

From September 2010 to January 2011 we undertook a scoping exercise to explore with key organisations the topics that should be retained, expanded on or included for the first time.

As a result of this exercise, the revised guidance sets out doctors responsibilities in relation to:

  • keeping up to date and prescribing safely
  • need and objectivity – prescribing for yourself and those close to you
  • consent to prescribe – explaining benefits, risks and side effects of medicines; improving adherence
  • sharing information with and prescribing at the recommendation of colleagues
  • repeat prescribing, prescribing with repeats and reviewing medicines
  • prescribing online, by telephone and video-link
  • prescribing off-label and unlicensed medicines, including for reasons of cost-effectiveness
  • conflicts of interest – prescribing incentives and financial interests in pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies and dispensing practices
  • sports medicine – prescribing performance enhancing drugs

From April to June 2011 we held a formal consultation on draft guidance. We received 170 written responses and held a series of meetings to gather views on the issues covered in the draft good practice in prescribing medicines and devices guidance (pdf).

We are analysing the  responses with a view to publish revised guidance in 2012.  We will also publish a summary of the review process.

The GMC’s guidance is published in accordance with our statutory role in advising the profession on standards of professional conduct and medical ethics. Although it is primarily for doctors on our register, it also helps inform patients, the public, employers and others what they can expect from doctors.

Further information

Please telephone the Standards and Ethics Team on 020 7189 5404 or email us at standards.consult@gmc-uk.org for further information on the review.

We will update this page with news about the review as it progresses.