GMC in Wales

Responding to devolution

As a UK wide body, the General Medical Council regulates all doctors registered in Wales. 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 Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to respond effectively to devolution and contribute to ensuring regulation remains appropriate in each part of the UK.

About GMC Wales

The GMC's Wales office, which is based in Cardiff, was officially launched in June 2005. It is responsible for the following activities:

• Monitoring and assisting the GMC's response to developments in health policy, legislation and structures in Wales
• Liaising with the Welsh Assembly Government and other decision makers regarding changes in medical regulation
• Ensuring the voice of Welsh patients and public is taken into account in the development of GMC policy and guidance
• Raising awareness of the role and functions of the GMC within Wales
• Providing a point of contact for Assembly Members, 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.