The General Medical Council has promised to provide local support and advice to doctors, employers and those involved in medical education across the UK.
At its Council meeting today, the GMC announced plans to set up two new teams – one will support medical directors throughout the UK offering specific guidance on revalidation and doctors’ fitness to practise, while the second team, operating in England, will be expected to work with postgraduate deans, medical schools, Local Medical Committees and others working at local level. This team will seek to replicate the current success of the GMC’s offices in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The idea of supporting medical directors was piloted in North London and West Yorkshire in 2008 and is being further tested in the Department of Health’s Revalidation Pathfinder Pilots in the West Midlands and Yorkshire and Humber. The scheme has received positive feedback from Medical Directors, who reported that they valued the expertise of the advisors and felt better equipped to deal with issues arising from doctors in difficulty.
The second new team will aim to establish better links between the GMC and its key contacts to ensure that the ideas and concerns of doctors, employers, patients and others in each part of the UK are fully understood.
“We are moving into a new era of regulation. We cannot simply wait for others to bring us their problems, we need to reach out and offer support. We need to understand what is going on at local level and to be able to have an ongoing dialogue with everyone from doctors’ organisations and employers to medical schools and patient groups. We want to be there working with our partners on the ground and understanding their needs and issues.
“There was a time when the GMC was seen as the body which was only interested when things went wrong – today we are responsible for setting standards throughout medical education as well as professional standards which apply throughout every doctor’s career. To do that well we have to reach out.
“The employer liaison team will be there to support medical directors with both specific cases involving a doctor’s fitness to practise and revalidation. The regional liaison team will enable us to transform our relationships with all those who have an interest in our work across England so we can really understand what is happening locally and ensure this is influencing our national policy.”
Notes to Editors:
Employer liaison advisers were previously called GMC Affiliates, but their title has changed following significant modifications to earlier plans in response to findings from the pilots
The cost of the new teams will be met from other efficiency savings as part of our ongoing programme to provide value for money
For further information please contact the Media Relations Office on 020 7189 5454, out of hours 020 7189 5444/ 07920 461497, email press@gmc-uk.org, website http://www.gmc-uk.org/.
The General Medical Council registers and licenses doctors to practise medicine in the UK. Our purpose is summed up in the phrase: Regulating doctors, Ensuring Good Medical Practice.
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
