GMC consultation on the future of good medical practice

Published: 18 May 2022

The General Medical Council (GMC) is consulting on an updated version of Good medical practice – the standards of professional behaviour and patient care expected from all doctors in the UK.

Good medical practice is at the heart of patient care across the UK. It emphasises a patient’s right to be treated with dignity, respect and to be involved in decisions about their care. Doctors follow this guidance from the first day they join our register, until the last day they practise. In the future, it will also apply to two new groups of medical professionals we’ll regulate – physician associates and anaesthesia associates.

Since the current version was published in 2013, the way we all access care has evolved. Most recently, the pandemic has accelerated different ways of working. That’s why it’s important for us all to reflect on the guidance now, so it continues to keep pace with the issues that matter to patients and medical professionals.

To find out more and share your views please visit the GMC’s Good medical practice review website. The consultation is open to everyone and runs until 20 July 2022.