15.07.16
GMC appoints DH’s Charlie Massey as new chief executive
The General Medical Council (GMC) has announced that it has appointed Charlie Massey, currently a director general at the Department of Health, as its new CEO.
Massey will replace Niall Dickson, who announced last year that he will step down after seven years as chief executive.
The GMC is an independent registered charity, accountable to Parliament, which protects patient safety by deciding which doctors are qualified to work in the UK and establishing standards for their work.
It recently took an active role in the junior doctors’ dispute, warning that strikes could put patients at risk, and published the first guidelines on cosmetic treatments.
Professor Terence Stephenson, chair of the GMC, said: “During Niall’s time as chief executive, the GMC has moved significantly to become a patient safety organisation.
“With Charlie we will continue that reform by taking forward a number of ambitious projects that will help us to become an organisation that is more responsive to the context in which doctors work, imposes fewer burdens on doctors and the healthcare system and does more to support doctors with the professional challenges they face during their careers.”
Professor Stephenson wrote for NHE earlier this year about the changes the GMC has undergone.
Massey’s appointment is subject to final clearance under the government’s business appointment rules. He said: “The GMC is an independent patient safety organisation and I share its ambition to work closely with doctors across all four countries of the UK, at all stages of their training and careers, to promote the highest standards of medical practice.”
Massey has worked at the Department of Health since 2012 and previously worked at the Department for Work and Pensions and the Pensions Regulator.
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