General Medical Council will introduce Licences to Practise in 2009

The introduction of Licences to Practise will be take place in summer/autumn 2009, once all the relevant legislation is in place, it was decided today.

The GMC will introduce Licences to Practise in summer/autumn 2009, once all the relevant legislation is in place. This decision was taken at the Council meeting in Edinburgh on Wednesday 2 April 2008.

In the future, any doctor who wishes to practise in the UK will need to maintain registration with the GMC and hold a licence to practise. Doctors who are currently registered, but do not wish to practise, may retain registration only. There are approximately 240,000 doctors on the GMC register. It is estimated that there are about 150,000 doctors in active practice in the UK at any one time.

The introduction of a licence to practise will be a critical step in the development and implementation of revalidation. All licensed doctors will need to participate in revalidation. Doctors who choose to maintain registration only will not need to participate in revalidation but they will not be able to practise medicine in the UK.

Licensing and revalidation, once fully implemented, will greatly strengthen the system of regulation. They will provide patients and employers with a positive affirmation that their doctor continues to practise in accordance with the standards set by the GMC.

President of the GMC, Sir Graeme Catto said:

“We have long sought to implement a system of licensing and revalidation for UK doctors and this is an important step forward. The GMC has proven itself to be an effective and efficient regulator and I am confident that we can deliver this ambitious project. We will keep doctors up to date with progress via our website and GMCtoday.”