CHRE praises GMC for promoting patient safety across UK

The General Medical Council has not only continued to be an effective organisation across all its regulatory functions but in many ways has improved its performance in the past year.

That is the verdict of an independent review of professional healthcare regulators in the UK published today (29 June).

In its annual review, the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE) praised the GMC's 'good performance' overall which it described as 'notable' for continuing to meet its Standards for Good Regulation - the benchmark by which health regulators are judged.

The report said: ‘We have identified the GMC’s approach in this area [Standards for Good Regulation] as excellent because of its focus on understanding doctors’ engagement with the standards, and on understanding the factors involved in why doctors follow guidance and/or raise concerns.’

The CHRE also welcomed progress in several other main areas including revalidation, fitness to practise reforms and continuing professional development.

The report said: 'The GMC has maintained and in many ways improved its performance as an effective regulator across all of its regulatory functions.'

On the GMC's work to introduce revalidation for all UK doctors, the CHRE said: 'This system [revalidation], once implemented, will mark a positive step change in the relationship between the regulator, the registrant, the employer and most importantly the public.'

Referring to the GMC's 2011 report on the 'State of Medical Education and Practice in the UK', the CHRE said: 'This work is likely to be of use not just to the GMC but also to the medical profession, medical education providers and to the wider healthcare system.'

And commenting on its work to improve fitness to practise functions, the CHRE said: ‘The GMC’s continued good performance in its fitness to practise function is particularly impressive given that it occurs against the background of a major reform programme that is currently under way.'

CHRE assessors also commended the GMC for:

• Ensuring that standards of competence and conduct for doctors continued to prioritise patient safety
• Assessing the value and relevance of its guidance material with a view to continuous improvement
• Maintaining and expanding its engagement with a wide variety of people and interest groups.

Niall Dickson, the Chief Executive of the General Medical Council, said:

'We are delighted that this independent review has recognised the important work we have done in maintaining and improving our performance over the last year to promote patient safety across the UK.

'I am particularly pleased the CHRE has highlighted our progress on revalidation, our fitness to practise reforms and our engagement with a wide variety of partners - we cannot do this work alone. Understanding the views of doctors, patients and their representatives is critical in every area of our work.

'While we have made important strides towards being a more effective and more outward facing organisation we know there is more to do. Regulation can never be a panacea for all the challenges facing our healthcare system but it can make a contribution, in our case by helping to make care safer and better through improvements in medical practice and education.

'We have a challenging year ahead, not least with the introduction of revalidation from December, which marks the biggest change in medical regulation for more than 150 years. But we are committed to go on working with our partners to build on the progress we have made.'

To read a copy of the CHRE's report visit.