About our Leadership and management guidance

Being a good medical professional means more than simply being a good clinician. In their day-to-day role all members of the healthcare team can provide leadership to their colleagues and vision for the organisations in which they work and for their profession as a whole. However, unless medical professionals are willing to contribute to improving the quality of services and to speak up when things are wrong, patient care is likely to suffer.

This guidance, which forms part of the professional standards, sets out the wider management and leadership responsibilities of doctors, physician associates and anaesthesia associates (collectively referred to as ‘medical professionals’) in the workplace, including:

• responsibilities relating to employment issues
• teaching and training
• planning, using and managing resources
• raising and acting on concerns
• helping to develop and improve services.

The principles in this guidance apply to all medical professionals, whether they work directly with patients or have a formal management role.¹ 

The standards of good practice apply to doctors, physician associates and anaesthesia associates (collectively referred to as medical professionals and whom we address directly as ‘you’ throughout the guidance). As with all our professional standards, this guidance applies to all our registrants to the extent it is relevant to the individual’s practice. 

How these principles will apply in practical terms depends on individual's role and responsibility. For example, how a professional working under supervision will show leadership or take responsibility for managing resources will be different from a professional working in a more autonomous or senior role.

You continue to have responsibility for the safety and wellbeing of patients when you perform non-clinical duties, including when you work as a manager. You are still accountable to the General Medical Council (GMC) for your decisions and actions, even if someone without medical training could perform your role.

This guidance applies across the UK and should be interpreted in the context of the relevant national and local arrangements for the delivery of health services. It sets out:

• the duties and principles that apply to all medical professionals
• the extra responsibilities that may only apply to some medical professionals (for example, those with management or leadership responsibilities at a personal, team, organisation or policy level). This may include formal management roles, such as clinical or medical directors, or roles with responsibility for supervising and managing staff, resources and services.