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The medical register

Doctors must be registered with the General Medical Council (GMC) to practise medicine in the UK.

Why we have the register

Patients trust doctors with their lives and wellbeing. They need to have confidence that doctors are competent in their field and abide by high ethical standards.

The GMC's duty is to protect this public interest. By keeping up-to-date registers of qualified doctors, we aim to ensure that all registered doctors maintain the standards the public and the medical profession expect.

These standards are set out in the GMC's publication Good Medical Practice.

Is a doctor on the register?

You can check whether a doctor is on the register online. Our online database is called the List of Registered Medical Practitioners.

Accessing the GP Register

The GP Register is a register of general practitioners eligible to work in the UK health service. It can be accessed via the List of Registered Medical Practitioners.

Read more about the GP Register.

Information for employers

If you employ doctors you must read and understand your obligations. Please read our online help Employing a doctor.

An explanation of the different types of registration and routes into registration is provided in our online help Registration information for employers.

Licensing and revalidation

We plan to introduce a new system of licensing and revalidation. This will mean that all doctors will regularly have to prove to us that they are up to date and fit to practise medicine.