General Medical Council programmes for reduction of errors and protection of patients

The General Medical Council (GMC) has statutory powers to regulate the medical profession in the United Kingdom. Its education committee maintains the standard of entry onto the medical register by overseeing the training and qualifying standards provided by University medical schools. Doctors found guilty of serious professional misconduct or seriously deficient performance, together with those suffering from seriously impaired health may have their medical registration subject to conditions. In the most serious or persistent cases doctors may be temporarily suspended or permanently erased from the register. The GMC sets out the standards of knowledge, skill and behaviour required by the profession in its publication “Good Medical Practice”. In future all doctors on the UK register will be required to demonstrate regularly by a performance based system of revalidation that they are up to date and fit to practise in their chosen field. This professionally led system will complement the managerially led Clinical Governance initiatives being introduced by the UK government in a combined effort to improve standards of care and protect patients from harm.