Features: Introducing the licence
28 September 2009
What is happening before and on the day the licence to practise is introduced?
The GMC will introduce licensing on 16 November 2009. From this date all doctors who wish to practise medicine in the UK will, by law, need to hold both registration and a licence to practise.
Before Monday 16 November
Confirming your licensing decision
More than 200,000 doctors have confirmed their licensing decision to us. If you have already told us your decision, you should by now have received a letter from the GMC that confirms the decision that you have made. If you have not told us your decision, there is still time. Please call us on 0161 923 6277 and one of our advisers will be able to help you.
Updating our systems and services
Our systems will be updated when licensing is introduced to ensure patients, doctors, and the NHS and other healthcare providers can view the new GMC status of all medical practitioners. More information about these improvements will be posted on our website nearer the time.
On Monday 16 November
Confirming your new status
After licensing is introduced, we will also write to you to confirm your new GMC status. This will re-confirm your decision on whether you hold registration with or without a licence to practise.
We will also be updating the online List of Registered Medical Practitioners on the GMC website at http://www.gmc-uk.org/.
We will not issue a certificate, card or an actual ‘licence’. This is because these items are only accurate at the time they are produced and your status may change. There are also security considerations.
Employer checks
On Monday 16 November, your employer or the organisation which contracts or commissions your services may want to check that you hold the appropriate registration for the type of post or practice which you undertake.
They will also be able to check your new status by visiting the online List of Registered Medical Practitioners, which is available through the GMC website.
Changes to the online Register
The online Register will be updated on 16 November 2009 to show the new GMC status for every doctor. Doctors will be shown as being either:
- registered with a licence to practise; or
- registered without a licence to practise.
Changes to certificates
When licensing is introduced, there will be some changes to the certificates issued by the GMC to doctors, employers and overseas regulators.
- Doctors will continue to receive a registration certificate when they are first granted provisional registration and when first granted full registration. However, those certificates will not state whether a doctor holds a licence to practise as this may change during the course of a doctor’s career. The online Register will provide this information.
- From 13 November, we will no longer issue Annual Registration Certificates to confirm payment of the annual retention fee. Instead, doctors will receive a letter confirming receipt of their annual retention fee.
- The certified copy of a doctor’s entry on the online List of Registered Medical Practitioners, along with other certificates that certify changes in a doctor’s GMC status, will be discontinued from 16 November 2009. From this date, doctors will receive a letter to confirm their entry on the online List of Registered Medical Practitioners.
For more information about licensing, please visit www.gmc-uk.org/licensing or email licensing@gmc-uk.org.