UK Update
GMC issues licences to practise
The licence to practise applies to all doctors, whether they practise full-time, part-time, as a locum, privately or in the NHS
Since 16 November 2009, all doctors practising medicine in the UK are required by law to hold both registration and a licence to practise.
In total, 97% (more than 213,000 doctors) made their choice, with 200,000 doctors choosing to hold registration with a licence and 13,500 doctors registering without.
The licence to practise applies to all doctors, whether they practise full-time, part-time, as a locum, privately or in the NHS, or whether they are employed or self-employed.
Following this, a new system called revalidation will be introduced that will require doctors to renew their licence to practise periodically.
Revalidation will give patients regular assurance that doctors registered with a licence are up-to-date and fit to practise. Doctors need a licence if they undertake any form of medical practice, for which UK law currently requires them to hold GMC registration.
Improving end of life care
The Royal College of General Practitioners’ (RCGP) End of Life Care Strategy is a groundbreaking initiative aiming to improve care for those in the last stages of life.
The strategy, led by Professor Keri Thomas, RCGP Clinical Champion in End of Life Care, has identified areas that require further work, including:
- Recognising and rewarding best practice
- Reviewing existing educational resources
- Supporting research and the development of best practice models
- Endorsing the use of Advance Care Planning
- Improving out-of-hours palliative care
- Strengthening team-working with nurses, as part of the primary healthcare team.
The new strategy will ensure that patients receive the best possible end of life care, following concerns that existing health and social care services are not fully equipped to meet the needs of the changing UK demographic.
Professor Thomas said: “The adoption of the RCGP End of Life Care Strategy will lead the way in defining, enabling and pioneering good practice in end of life care, reflecting the crucial role that GPs play now and in future.”
NHS Constitution: consultation on new patient rights
The Department of Health has launched a consultation on legal rights to waiting times and NHS health checks for patients.
The NHS Constitution: A Consultation on New Patient Rights recommends:
- The legal right to start treatment by a consultant within 18 weeks of GP referral, and to be seen by a cancer specialist within two weeks of GP referral.
- NHS Health Checks for those aged 40 to 74 to assess their risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease, reducing the incidence of these diseases and the damage they cause.
The consultation closes on Friday 5 February 2010.
Confidentiality guidance
The GMC has updated its guidance on Confidentiality, which came into effect on 12 October 2009, setting out the principles of confidentiality and respect for patients’ privacy.
In addition, the GMC has published seven pieces of supplementary guidance, explaining:
- Reporting concerns about patients to the DVLA or DVA
- Disclosing records for financial and administrative purposes
- Reporting gunshot and knife wounds
- Visit the GMC website for more information.
Project findings will help shape GMC revalidation
The project assessing GPs in Wales found that clinical governance and appraisal systems are already well embedded in primary care
Results from three projects will be used by the Revalidation Programme Board (RPB) to inform further work on revalidation.
Revalidation in General Practice in Wales, Buckinghamshire PCT and GMC Revalidation Project, and NHS Professionals (Doctors) were presented to the RPB in October 2009.
The project assessing GPs in Wales found that clinical governance and appraisal systems are already well embedded in primary care, and from this predicted that implementing revalidation should be straightforward, if good healthcare governance systems are already in place.
Buckinghamshire PCT, in conjunction with the GMC, developed a questionnaire to assess the quantity, quality and type of supporting information brought to appraisal by GPs.
The NHS Professionals project asked locums to provide feedback on the use of a trained appraiser during the appraisals process.
Keith Pearson, Chair of the UK Revalidation Programme Board, said: “The findings from these projects are extremely encouraging and helpful.”
The GMC is expected to launch a consultation into key aspects of how revalidation will work in early 2010.