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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 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.
Using the online version of the guidance
- To read the guidance as it appears in the print version, you can use the navigation arrows at the bottom of the page. Begin reading.
- For an overview of 0-18 years: guidance for all doctors (2007) you can use the contents page.
- You can search all our current ethical guidance, including Good Medical Practice, using our A-Z of ethical guidance.