Health Professions: Standards
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of General Medical Council fitness-to-practise investigations on the wellbeing of doctors, and what steps are being taken to ensure those processes are proportionate and timely.
Answered by Karin Smyth
The General Medical Council (GMC) is independent of the Government, is directly accountable to Parliament, and is responsible for operational matters concerning the discharge of its statutory duties. The United Kingdom’s model of healthcare professional regulation is founded on the principle of regulators operating independently from the Government.
The GMC provides guidance and support for doctors who are under investigation, which includes an initial personalised contact at the start of an investigation and the creation of a bespoke communication plan for each doctor. The GMC has also commissioned the British Medical Association to run the Doctor Support Service which offers confidential support from another doctor who is experienced in providing peer support and is completely independent from the GMC.
The Government is committed to modernising the regulation of all healthcare professionals in the UK. As a first step, on 24 March 2026, we published our Reforming the General Medical Council legislative framework consultation, which sets out proposals to modernise the GMC’s regulatory framework. The consultation runs until 21 July 2026. The draft General Medical Council Order 2026 includes a modernised fitness to practise process for the GMC. The framework consultation is available at the following link:
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