Good Medical Practice: How Good Medical Practice applies to you

The guidance that follows describes what is expected of all doctors registered with the GMC. It is your responsibility to be familiar with Good Medical Practice and to follow the guidance it contains. 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 Good Medical Practice 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 factors outside 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.

For more information on how Good Medical Practice is used in our Fitness to Practise procedures, read The Meaning of Fitness to Practise (38k, pdf).