Response to Channel 4 News

Responding to Channel 4 News, Niall Dickson Chief Executive of the General Medical Council said:

‘Protecting patients must always come first and doctors who break conditions or a suspension order can expect us to take swift and firm action against them - in the cases highlighted by Channel 4, most of the doctors were then struck off by the GMC. We will not tolerate behaviour of this kind.

‘What is more, any doctor practising medicine when they are suspended is breaking the law – we will follow this up with the police as well as acting ourselves.

‘In recent years we have significantly strengthened the way we monitor doctors with conditions or suspensions. We require doctors to tell us about their employers and we keep them informed, and we also circulate details of all the actions we take on doctors’ registrations to all NHS organisations and locum agencies. In addition, this information is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week on our website. The action taken against the doctor is noted on his or her entry to the register which is also available online.

‘We have also embarked on further reforms to provide more safeguards for patients and to build an even closer relationship with those who employ doctors. No system can prevent a determined few from breaking the rules, but we are determined to deal with those who do.’