Professional standards for doctors

Good medical practice (1)

Good medical practice

Start here with Good medical practice – our core guidance for all registered doctors. All our guidance builds on these core principles.

female doctor in a hospital setting head shot

Good medical practice

Good medical practice sets out the principles of good practice which all doctors must be familiar with. It is the foundation on which the rest of our guidance is built.

Confidentiality (7)

Confidentiality

Guidance on confidentiality. You will also find six supporting pieces of guidance to help you decide if patient information should be disclosed in particular situations, such as when considering if a patient is fit to drive, or when a patient has a serious communicable disease.

Confidentiality: good practice in handling patient information

Know when you can make disclosures and when to respect confidentiality. This guidance will help you manage and protect patient information in practice.

Confidentiality: disclosing information for education and training purposes

What to share with medical students, doctors in training and others. This also covers writing case studies and training records.

Confidentiality: disclosing information for employment, insurance and similar purposes

Understand what to include in a report and know what you can and can't leave out. This also covers the principle of 'no surprises' for patients.

Confidentiality: disclosing information about serious communicable diseases

How to balance privacy with keeping others safe. This guidance covers yours, and your colleagues’ health, as well as your patients’.

Confidentiality: patients' fitness to drive and reporting concerns to the DVLA or DVA

Know what to discuss with patients whose health makes them unfit to drive. Understand when it is their responsibility to report this and when it is yours.

Confidentiality: reporting gunshot and knife wounds

What to tell the police and when to share information without your patient's consent.

Confidentiality: responding to criticism in the media

Understand what you can and can’t say in response to others’ comments. This covers criticism of you personally and your practice or the health service.

Professional boundaries (4)

Professional boundaries

A range of guidance to help make sure that you remain professional in the variety of situations that you face. This includes advice on maintaining appropriate boundaries and our social media guidance.

Maintaining personal and professional boundaries

Understand how to keep a suitable doctor patient relationship.

Using social media as a medical professional

Our guidance on social media, apps and other online tools. This covers professional boundaries, confidentiality and respect for colleagues.

Intimate examinations and chaperones

Examinations can be embarrassing or distressing for patients. This guidance covers examinations of a patient's intimate areas. It can also apply to any examination where it is necessary to touch or be close to the patient.

Ending your professional relationship with a patient

In rare circumstances the trust between you and a patient may break down. This guidance covers when you should and shouldn't end the relationship and what to do. This includes closing or relocating your practice.

Children and young people (2)

Children and young people

Guidance on treating children and young people. You will also find advice on the responsibilities of all doctors in protecting children and young people.

Protecting children and young people: the responsibilities of all doctors

How to identify and protect children and young people who are at risk. This includes if they are living with their families or living away from home.

0–18 years

Understand how to provide care to young patients. Including young people who have the capacity to consent. This also covers assessing best interests and discussing sexual activity.

Consent and research (4)

Consent and research

Guidance on consent and research, including decision making and consent and good practice in research.

Decision making and consent

Shared decision making and consent are fundamental to good medical practice. This guidance explains that the exchange of information between doctor and patient is essential to good decision making.

Making and using visual and audio recordings of patients

Know what you can record and when consent is needed. This covers making covert recordings and recording telephone calls. Understand how to store and delete recordings.

Consent to research

Understand how the principles of decision making and seeking consent apply to research.

Good practice in research

Research involving people can be key in improving the care and health of the population as a whole. This guidance will help you to protect patients and maintain public confidence.

Prescribing and cosmetics (2)

Prescribing and cosmetics

Guidance on what is expected of a doctor who offers cosmetic interventions.

Good practice in prescribing and managing medicines and devices

This guidance gives best practice about prescribing to patients. It includes remote prescribing, unlicensed medicines and shared care.

Guidance for doctors who offer cosmetic interventions

This covers any procedure or treatment aiming to change the way someone looks. Including surgical and non-surgical procedures. These may be invasive or non-invasive.

Care at the end of life (2)

Care at the end of life

Guidance on providing care to patients reaching the end of their life. It covers adults, children and neonates and includes guidance on advance care planning, clinically assisted nutrition and hydration, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.