Regulating doctors, ensuring good medical practice

Doctors and patients' feedback helps take forward reforms

Press Release

09 Jun 2011

Doctors and patients have voiced support for many of the GMC fitness to practise reform proposals.

The responses to our consultation show support for our plans. We will now develop the plans in detail, working closely with doctors and patients.

Niall Dickson, the Chief Executive of the GMC

The proposals include plans that would see doctors able to accept a sanction without going to a hearing, delivering a quicker way to protect patients.

Support for many of the GMC’s proposals came from patients’ groups and individual patients, as well as the BMA, Royal Colleges, CHRE, NHS Employers, medical defence organisations, and individual doctors.

Cases where there is a significant dispute about the evidence, or where the doctor did not accept the sanction the GMC believed necessary to protect patients, would continue to go to a hearing.

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

“A simpler and speedier fitness-to-practise system will both protect patients and benefit doctors. The responses to our consultation show support for our plans.

“Important issues were also raised about details of the proposals, which we have listened to and will address. We are committed to making sure all our processes are open and transparent and that information about those cases which are resolved without a hearing will be available to complainants and the public.”

“We will now develop the plans in detail, working closely with doctors and patients to make sure the changes continue to ensure there is widespread confidence in our fitness to practise procedures.”

Feedback from over 200 written responses and from consultation events (1) helped the GMC identify areas where the plans should change or further work is needed:

  • Proposals for doctors to be able to share information with the regulator on a ‘without prejudice’ basis will not be pursued, after respondents voiced concerns.
  • The GMC will do further work to identify the best way to communicate with complainants under the proposed system, and to ensure the public and media still have the opportunity to scrutinise decisions.
  • The GMC will consider helpful suggestions received through the consultation to make sure potentially vulnerable doctors are supported during the process, including exploring providing basic legal advice for unrepresented doctors in certain circumstances.
  • We will look at ideas put forward on the best terminology to use to describe the new process
  • There is agreement with the proposal that certain criminal convictions, such as murder and rape, are incompatible with being a doctor. The GMC is giving serious consideration to respondents’ suggestion that serious fraud should be among the offences which lead to a presumption that a doctor’s name should be removed from the medical register.

Notes to Editors:

The fitness to practise reforms consultation was launched in January this year. The GMC received 217 written responses. We also held round-table events for patients, as well as meeting with patient representative groups in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. We hosted a Parliamentary reception for MPs and Peers, web discussions for doctors, and the Practitioner Health Programme hosted an event for sick doctors.

The Fitness to Practise Committee will now oversee the development of a detailed operational model to deliver these reforms. Legislative change will be needed to bring in the many of the proposed changes and this will require further consultation.

View the summary of Fitness to Practise responses as presented at the GMC’s Council meeting on 8 June.

The GMC’s analysis of the consultation responses was reviewed by a King’s Fund expert to ensure objectivity and accuracy.

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.

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