GMC in Northern Ireland

As a UK wide body, the General Medical Council regulates all doctors registered in Northern Ireland. We are set up by law to carry out four key functions.

Regulation of doctors is a reserved power. Policy is therefore led and set by the Department of Health in Whitehall and legislation considered in Parliament at Westminster.

However, with increasingly divergent health structures and health policy across the UK, the GMC has established offices in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland to respond effectively to devolution and contribute to ensuring regulation remains appropriate in each part of the UK.

About GMC Northern Ireland

The GMC's Northern Ireland office, which is based in Belfast, was officially opened in October 2006. It is responsible for the following activities:

• Monitoring and assisting the GMC's response to developments in health policy, legislation and structures in Northern Ireland
• Liaise with the Northern Ireland Executive and other decision makers regarding changes in medical regulation
• Ensure the voice of Northern Ireland patients and public is taken into account in the development of GMC policy and guidance
• Raise awareness of the role and functions of the GMC within Northern Ireland
• To provide a point of contact for Assembly Members (MLAs), doctors and their representatives, patients and the public, academics and employers

Other enquiries

For details on the range of services provided by the GMC, and where to access them, please click on the links below.

• Registering doctors
• Registration enquiries
• Handling complaints about doctors
• Holding disciplinary hearings

For contact details for these services and others, please see our Contacts section.