PSA review concludes the GMC continues to maintain high Standards of Good Regulation
An independent review of the General Medical Council’s (GMC) core functions concluded that all 18 standards of good regulation have been maintained.
A performance review by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA), covering the period from September 2021 to September 2022, has confirmed the GMC met all standards of good practice, including fairness, transparency, efficiency, public and doctor safety and ability to manage risk.
The PSA’s report recognises our continued work towards our equality, diversity and inclusion targets. It noted particularly our work to review issues arising from specific concerns including the independent review of the case involving Dr Arora. The report also recognised our recent consultation on changes to Good medical practice, the work we are doing bringing Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates into regulation, and changes to our fitness to practise processes to improve the time taken to progress cases.
Charlie Massey, GMC Chief Executive said:
‘At a time when the medical profession continues to be under immense pressure, it is more important than ever that we uphold our high standards of regulation and support the thousands of dedicated registrants to promote patient safety.
‘We remain committed to eliminating the discrimination experienced by some ethnic minority doctors which is why we continue to work towards tackling disproportionality in both medical education and fitness to practise referrals. This includes learning from cases where we could have done better, which is why we have accepted, without hesitation, the recommendations made to us following an independent review of the Dr Arora case.
‘As we continue to support the NHS meet the demands of modern patient care, we are determined to be a compassionate, fair and supportive regulator, which will contribute to a better health system for professionals and patients.’
The PSA for Health and Social Care oversees statutory bodies like the GMC who regulate health and social care professionals in the UK. It assesses performance, conducts audits, scrutinises decisions and reports to Parliament. It also sets standards for organisations holding voluntary registers for health and social care occupations and accredits those that meet them. The full performance review is available on the PSA’s website.
