0-18 years: guidance for all doctors

Our booklet Good Medical Practice describes what is expected of all doctors registered with the GMC. The guidance that follows, which is for all doctors, develops the duties and principles set out in Good Medical Practice and in our other guidance. It focuses on children and young people from birth until their 18th birthday (see appendix 1). It is your responsibility to be familiar with Good Medical Practice and 0-18 years and to follow the guidance they contain. It is guidance, not a statutory code, so you must use your judgement to apply the principles to the various situations you will face as a doctor, whether or not you hold a licence to practise and whether or not you routinely see patients. You must be prepared to explain and justify your decisions and actions.

In 0-18 years: guidance for all doctors, the terms 'you must' and 'you should' are used in the following ways:-

• 'You must' is used for an overriding duty or principle
• 'You should' is used when we are providing an explanation of how you will meet the overriding duty
• 'You should' is also used where the duty or principle will not apply in all situations or circumstances, or where there are factorsoutside your control that affect whether or how you can comply with the guidance.

 Serious or persistent failure to follow this guidance will put your registration at risk.

0-18 years: guidance for all doctors on-line

This is the online version of 0-18 years: guidance for all doctors (2007).

You can use this online version to find the guidance you need quickly and easily.

You can navigate through the guidance page by page using the links at the foot of each page or browse for something more specific through the Contents page.

Alternatively, you can search all our current ethical guidance, including 0-18 years: guidance for all doctors, using our A-Z of Ethical Guidance.