General Medical Council

GMC

General Medical Council. The UK regulatory body whose remit is to protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the public by ensuring proper standards in the practice of medicine. The GMC is legally empowered to carry out four main functions under the Medical Act 1983:
• Keeping up-to-date registers of qualified doctors;
• Fostering good medical practice;
• Promoting high standards of medical education and training;
• Dealing firmly and fairly with doctors whose fitness to practise is in doubt.

In 2010, the GMC absorbed the role of the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB) and is now also responsible for regulating all stages of medical education in the UK, as well as maintaining intimate contact with the Royal Colleges regarding the good standing of consultants (specialists) in the UK.

Segen's Medical Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

General Medical Council

The governing and registering body of doctors in the United Kingdom. For many years the qualification for full medical practice in the UK was inclusion in the Medical Register. But in 2004 a new system was introduced. Under this, the Register was strengthened by a specific licence to practice supported by periodic REVALIDATION. This change was made to ensure that doctors remained up-to-date in their knowledge, and fit, throughout their careers, to provide adequate, safe and effective medical care for their patients. Registered and validated doctors are expected to make the care of their patients their first concern. They must respect patients' views, dignity and privacy; provide information in a form patients can understand; respect the rights of patients to be involved in decisions about themselves; recognize the limits of their professional competence; behave honestly and be trustworthy; avoid allowing personal beliefs to prejudice patient care; cooperate with colleagues; and act quickly to protect patients if they have good reason to believe that they, or another doctor may not be fit to practice.

Collins Dictionary of Medicine © Robert M. Youngson 2004, 2005