Licences to Practise: your questions answered
We've received many emails and letters regarding licences to practise, which will be introduced in the Autumn of 2009. Over the coming months GMCtoday will be keeping you informed and here we answer some of your recent queries and concerns.
I am based overseas but intend to visit the UK and work for short periods of time. Does that mean I will need to hold a licence to practise?
You will not need a licence to practise outside the UK. The country in which you are working may, of course, require you to hold a licence or something similar. When you return to the UK, you will need to hold a licence to practise in order to exercise the legal privileges that are currently reserved for registered medical practitioners – even if you are only working for a short period.
I am a locum doctor. Do I need to hold a licence to practise, and if so will I be able to revalidate?
Yes. All doctors wishing to exercise the legal privileges that are currently reserved for registered medical practitioners will require a licence, including locum doctors. We are working with employers and others to ensure that there are appropriate processes in place to support all practising doctors to participate in revalidation.
We recognise that certain elements of revalidation may present particular challenges to doctors who work on a temporary basis in a number of organisations. We are currently working with NHS Professionals (Doctors) – an organisation which provides locum services for the NHS – and a number of primary care organisations to understand further those particular challenges and how revalidation can work for locum doctors, including locum GPs.
I work in private practice and only prescribe privately. Do I need a licence to practise?
Yes. You will need a licence to practise to exercise the legal privileges that are currently reserved for registered medical practitioners, such as prescribing.
Holding a licence means that you accept certain responsibilities. These include adhering to the principles of Good Medical Practice.
Can I provide medical care and prescribe for myself and my family?
Good Medical Practice states that, wherever possible, doctors should avoid providing medical care to anyone with whom they have a personal relationship, and that doctors should not treat themselves. Our booklet Good Practice in Prescribing also states that: ‘independent medical care should be sought whenever you or someone with whom you have a close personal relationship requires prescription medicines’.
If I hold registration only, what is the GMC’s expectation if I need to provide help and assistance in an emergency?
Following the introduction of licensing, doctors holding registration only will no longer be able to exercise the legal rights and privileges that are currently attached to registration, eg prescribing medication and signing death certificates. However, our core guidance Good Medical Practice will continue to apply to all doctors who are registered with the GMC including those with registration only.
Good Medical Practice provides that all registered doctors must offer assistance in an emergency, taking account of ‘your own safety, your competence, and the availability of other options for care’.
We understand the need to provide further clarity on this issue and will release guidance in due course.
Licensing – key facts
- The GMC is planning to introduce licences to practise in the autumn of 2009.
- The introduction of the licence to practise is the first step towards a new system of medical regulation, called revalidation.
- A licence to practise will permit doctors to exercise the same legal privileges that are currently reserved for registered medical practitioners, such as prescribing.
If you have a question about licensing, please email: licensing@gmc-uk.org or visit www.gmc-uk.org