Regulating doctors, ensuring good medical practice

GMC and NCAS sign agreement to enhance patient safety and public protection

Press Release

14 Aug 2012

The General Medical Council (GMC) and the National Clinical Assessment Service (NCAS) have agreed a joint set of principles to support their work together in a drive to enhance patient safety and public protection.

We are committed to working with health regulators and other partners to promote the highest standards of medicine. Our agreement with NCAS is an important step in the right direction to achieve our common goal of improved patient safety.

Niall Dickson, the Chief Executive of the GMC

Both organisations have agreed five key principles which will govern the relationship between the GMC’s new Employer Liaison Advisers (ELAs) and the NCAS's Advisers and provide greater clarity about the organisations’ respective roles.

Both organisations provide support to Medical Directors and Responsible Officers who have concerns about a doctor’s performance.

The GMC’s Employer Liaison Advisers support medical managers in dealing with fitness to practise concerns and offer advice on issues including revalidation and thresholds for referral to the GMC. Where appropriate, ELAs will suggest that Medical Directors and Responsible Officers engage with NCAS.

NCAS works to resolve concerns about the practice of doctors by providing case management services to health care organisations and to individual practitioners. NCAS also advises on cases involving concerns about clinical practice, behaviour and health and seeks to find a resolution through a range of interventions to enable, where appropriate, a return to safe practice. It does not function as a regulator.

The five principles agreed between the GMC and NCAS are:

  • To enhance patient safety and public protection
  • Where appropriate, concerns should be dealt with at a local level
  • The main role of the GMC’s ELAs is to advise on fitness to practise issues, and the thresholds for referral, and revalidation matters
  • The role of NCAS is to provide advice, support and a range of interventions to resolve concerns about a practitioner’s performance
  • To facilitate transparency regarding the functions of NCAS and the GMC

Niall Dickson, Chief Executive of the GMC, said: ‘We are committed to working with health regulators and other partners to promote the highest standards of medicine. Our agreement with NCAS is an important step in the right direction to achieve our common goal of improved patient safety.

‘Although we have different roles, these five principles will improve communication and cooperation, where appropriate, between us.’

Professor Pauline McAvoy, Medical Director of NCAS, said: ‘It’s important for those with concerns about a doctor’s practice – particularly Medical Directors and Responsible Officers – to understand how to access advice and support for managing those concerns.

‘By setting out who deals with what, we hope this joint statement of principles from NCAS and the GMC will encourage early and appropriate referral of concerns about a doctor’s performance, enabling the right level of response to address the concerns and to protect patients.’

Notes to editors

The GMC Media Relations Office can be contacted on 020 7189 5454, out of hours 020 7189 5444 / 07920 461497 or via email press@gmc-uk.org.

NCAS’ Head of Communications, Paul Wastell, can be contacted 9-5pm Mon–Fri on 020 7972 2908, or via email: paul.wastell@ncas.nhs.uk

Read the full memorandum of understanding about the relationship between GMC Employment Advisers and NCAS Advisers.

The General Medical Council registers and licenses doctors to practise medicine in the UK.

The law gives us four main functions:

  • keeping up-to-date registers of qualified doctors
  • fostering good medical practice
  • promoting high standards of medical education and training
  • dealing firmly and fairly with doctors whose fitness to practise is in doubt

The National Clinical Assessment Service (NCAS) contributes to patient safety by helping NHS organisations across the UK to resolve concerns about the professional practice of doctors, dentists and pharmacists.

Its free advice line – 020 7972 2999 – is available 24-hours-a-day to NHS clinicians, their managers and commissioners. NCAS also provides a broad range of support, education and clinical assessment services.

NCAS is currently hosted by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. On 1 April 2013 it will become an operating division of the NHS Litigation Agency. More detail about this change is available on NCAS' website.