25.03.13
GMC guidance goes beyond good clinical treatment
Good medical practice guidance for doctors has been updated by the General Medical Council (GMC). The guidance underpins revalidation, introduced last year, and is more concise than the previous version.
It has also been amended to include increasing contact with doctors online and highlights that a doctor’s responsibility goes beyond providing good clinical treatment. It is more explicit about when patients’ needs are not being met and includes guidance on social media.
Niall Dickson, chief executive of the General Medical Council, said: “Every doctor in the UK will receive a copy of the updated version of Good medical practice.
“These standards are the rock on which good practice is founded – and they are reflected every day in the high quality care delivered by doctors across the UK. We expect all doctors to meet these standards and we will take action to protect patients whenever they are not met.
“This guidance has never been more vital or relevant – the Mid-Staffs Inquiry has shown how important it is for all health professionals to understand and accept their responsibilities for patient care – good medical practice spells this out for doctors and they will now have to show, through their annual appraisal, that they are meeting the required standards.”
Dean Royles, chief executive of the NHS Employers organisation, said: “This guidance reinforces the fact that individual doctors have responsibilities too to meet the standards of high quality care, ensure their skills are up to date, and provide care with compassion.
“Revalidation is about ensuring doctors are up to date with their skills and fitness to practise, in line with the standards expected in ‘Good medical practice’. So it is important to ensure the guidance is fully up to date as well.
“It is good to see a section on the use of social media, as more and more staff and patients see the benefits of engaging in this way. I do hope that this revision will encourage more doctors to see the benefits of social media, rather than inhibit its use.”
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