General Medical Council facts for kids
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| Formation | 1858 |
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| Type | Charitable organisation |
| Purpose | Medical licensing |
| Headquarters | Regent's Place 350 Euston Road London NW1 3JN |
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Region
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United Kingdom |
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Staff
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1,236 (2018) |
The General Medical Council (GMC) is a public group in the United Kingdom. Its main job is to keep an official list of all the doctors who can practice medicine there. The GMC makes sure doctors are safe and good at their jobs. It also sets the rules for medical schools in the UK.
The GMC's biggest goal is to "protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the public." This means they control who can become a doctor and can stop doctors from practicing if needed. Being on the GMC's list gives doctors special rights. It is against the law to pretend you are a registered doctor. The GMC gets its money from fees paid by the doctors on its list. It became a charity in 2001.
Contents
History of the GMC
The GMC was created in 1858 by a law called the Medical Act 1858. It was first known as the General Council of Medical Education and Registration of the United Kingdom. At the start, doctors themselves chose who would be on the council. This made doctors trust the GMC a lot.
What the GMC Does
The GMC has several important jobs, all focused on making sure doctors are good and safe.
Keeping the Medical Register
The GMC keeps a list called the "medical register." This list shows all the doctors who are officially allowed to practice medicine in Britain. The GMC decides who can be added to this list. The main goal of this list is to keep the public healthy and safe.
Setting Standards for Medical Schools
The GMC also sets the rules and standards for medical schools in the UK. It works with other countries to make sure medical degrees from overseas are also recognized. Since 2010, it has also set standards for doctors' training after medical school.
Licensing and Revalidating Doctors
Since 2012, the GMC has been in charge of giving licenses to doctors in the UK. Doctors need this license to practice. They also have to renew it every five years through a process called "revalidation." This makes sure doctors keep their skills and knowledge up to date.
How the GMC Works
Even though anyone can try to help patients, the GMC gives special rights to doctors who are registered with them.
Special Rights for Registered Doctors
Being registered with the GMC gives doctors important privileges:
- Only registered doctors can charge money for medical advice or surgery.
- Only registered doctors can work as doctors in NHS hospitals, prisons, or the armed forces.
- Only registered doctors can sign official papers like sick notes or prescriptions.
- It is a crime to pretend you are a registered doctor if you are not.
The GMC says its main goal is to "protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the public." The GMC gets its money from yearly fees that doctors pay to stay registered. These fees have gone up over the years, but there is a discount for doctors who earn less money. In 2011, fees were lowered to help doctors.
Registering Doctors in the UK
The GMC keeps the official list of doctors. There are two main types of registration:
- Provisional registration: For new doctors who have just finished medical school and are starting their first year of training.
- Full registration: Doctors get this after they finish their first year of training.
Doctors who trained outside the UK might need to pass a test called the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) test. This test checks their knowledge and English language skills. The GMC's register includes details like a doctor's name, address, and if they have had any problems with their practice.
Licensing and Revalidating Doctors
The GMC now gives licenses to doctors. When this started in 2009, some doctors chose not to get a license. These were often doctors who were not actively practicing, like lecturers or those working overseas. Since 2012, all doctors who practice in the UK must have a license and revalidate it every five years. This means they must show they are still fit to practice.
Setting Standards for Good Medical Practice
The GMC sets rules for how doctors should act. Their main guide is called Good Medical Practice. This book tells doctors how to be professional and ethical. It helps the GMC decide if a doctor is fit to practice. The guide has been updated over the years. It now includes rules about using social media. The GMC also gives advice on other topics, like treating young patients or end-of-life care.
Medical Education Standards
The GMC checks and approves medical education and training in the UK. It makes sure that medical schools and training programs meet the right standards. In 2010, the GMC also took over the job of regulating doctors' training after medical school. This means one group now looks after a doctor's education from start to finish.
Dealing with Misconduct and Fitness to Practise
If there are concerns about a doctor's ability or behavior, the GMC can investigate. The GMC's job is to make sure doctors are safe to practice. It does not fine doctors or give money to patients. The results of these investigations are public.
The GMC can give advice, warnings, or set conditions for a doctor's practice. It can also suspend a doctor or remove them from the medical register. This is called being "struck off."
It has been shown that doctors from non-white backgrounds are sometimes treated unfairly in these processes. In 2021, a UK court found the GMC guilty of racial discrimination against a non-white doctor. The court said the GMC continued an investigation against him while not investigating a similar issue for a white doctor. This was a very important decision, showing that the GMC needs to be fair to everyone.
Emergency Driving for Doctors
Doctors who are registered with the GMC can use green flashing lights on their cars. These lights can be used when they are going to a medical emergency. They help other drivers see the doctor's car. However, these lights do not mean doctors can break traffic laws.
Improving the GMC
The GMC has made many changes to improve how it works.
Oversight and Accountability
Since 2001, the GMC's decisions about doctors' fitness to practice can be checked by another group called the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE). The GMC also answers to the Parliament of the United Kingdom through a special committee. This committee has called the GMC a "high-performing medical regulator."
Changes to the Council
After some serious events, the GMC made big changes. One change was to make the council smaller. It also made sure there were an equal number of doctors and non-doctors on the council. This helped make the GMC more balanced. In 2011, the GMC also separated its roles. Now, a new group called the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service handles the final decisions in fitness-to-practice cases. This means the GMC no longer investigates and judges cases itself.
GMC Leaders
The GMC's council has six medical professionals and six non-medical members. The Privy Council chooses all these members. The current Chair is Dame Carrie MacEwen, who started in May 2022. The chief executive is Charlie Massey.
Christine Murrell was the first woman chosen for the GMC in 1933, but she passed away before she could join. In 1950, Hilda Lloyd became the first woman to be a member of the Council.
Other Healthcare Regulators
The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA) is an independent group that checks on all health regulators in the UK. It makes sure they are doing a good job protecting patients. The PSA works with nine main regulatory bodies, including the General Medical Council:
- Health and Care Professions Council (for other health jobs)
- Nursing and Midwifery Council (for nurses and midwives)
- General Optical Council (for eye care professionals)
- General Dental Council (for dentists)
- General Chiropractic Council (for chiropractors)
- General Osteopathic Council (for osteopaths)
- General Pharmaceutical Council (for pharmacists)
- Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (for pharmacists in Northern Ireland)
- General Medical Council (for doctors)
These groups work together to make sure healthcare in the UK is safe and effective.
