Commenting on the General Medical Council’s (GMC) updated version of Good Medical Practice, published today (25 March), Dr Stephanie Bown, Director of Policy and Communications at the Medical Protection Society (MPS) said, 'Upholding professional values is at the heart of the GMC’s guidance and it’s only right that doctors take the lead in ensuring high quality, safe care, especially for vulnerable patients. However, the guidance further extends the expectations of doctors, placing even heavier burdens on their shoulders. Being readily available to patients and colleagues on duty potentially creates unrealistic expectations, without taking account of heavy workloads, interruptions and prioritising multiple tasks.
The new guidance extends its expectations in relation to all vulnerable people, even where they are not the doctor’s patients. So this might involve intervening where a patient is smacking a child in a supermarket at the weekend. Essentially, doctors can never take off their mantle of professionalism.
We welcome efforts to drive up healthcare standards, but if doctors are being asked to go even further beyond their professional remit, we must ensure that they are supported in doing so. We await with interest the GMC’s version of Good Medical Practice for the public. We hope this will help the public understand the role of a doctor and some of the challenging situations they encounter.'
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