The General Medical Council’s strategy 2010 to 2013

The GMC is entering a defining period.

Many of initiatives intended to make it more accessible, independent and attentive are coming to pass.

Revalidation is finally happening, with the licence to practise being introduced last November and the full process being introduced next year.

In 2011, the GMC will also hand over responsibility for adjudication in fitness to practise cases to the Office of the Health Professions Adjudicator.

And if that wasn’t enough, when it comes to medical education, the GMC is about to merge with PMETB making it solely responsible for the regulation of medical education and training. It even has a new chief executive, Niall Dickson, to oversee all of this.

The GMC has just launched its strategic priorities for 2010 to 2013, with the key themes being protecting the public, helping doctors, working with partners and delivering value for money.

There is much talk within the aims about increasing the profession’s accountability to the public. There’s a lot less talk, however, about the GMC’s accountability to the medical profession. With the steady demise of self-regulation, one might question why the profession is still paying for it. At the very least, you should know how the regulator is spending the £410 each of you give it every year. It may also inform how doctors view an imminent review of fees.

So, this week, we’ll summarise the GMC’s strategy, while next week, we’ll look at the recommendations of an independent review into the GMC’s regulation of training and education that are currently being consulted on.

The GMC’s strategic priorities for 2010 to 2013 are:

1. To continue to register only those doctors that are properly qualified and fit to practise and to increase the utility of the medical register.

The GMC says the register will be further developed to reflect the introduction of licensing and provide more information related to doctors’ practice and their revalidation. By 2013, it aims to have better quality information available on the nature of doctors’ medical practice and an improved understanding of the role of the register among the public and employers.

2. To give all its key interest groups confidence that doctors are fit to practise.

The GMC says the introduction of revalidation will provide regular assurance that licensed doctors are practising in accordance with relevant professional standards. Revalidation will be one of several mechanisms, which includes fitness to practise procedures, for improving quality and reducing the risks of patient care. It commits to supporting the transition to independent adjudication arrangements in 2011 and wants to ensure the standards and ethics guidance developed by the GMC remains at the core of decisions made on doctors’ fitness to practise.

3. To provide an integrated approach to the regulation of medical education and training through all stages of a doctors’ career.

Following the merger with PMETB on 1 April, the GMC will be directly responsible for the regulation of all stages of medical education and training - from medical school, through postgraduate training, to established practice. For the first time a single organisation will be responsible for delivering an integrated regulatory framework of standards, education, registration and fitness to practise through out all stages of a doctor’s career. It says it will be ‘informed’ by Lord Patel’s review on the way forward. 

By 2013, the GMC wants tangible gains in the efficiency and effectiveness of regulating education and training, and other health bodies to recognise there is greater consistency.

4. To provide doctors with relevant up-to-date guidance on professional standards.

Good Medical Practice sets out these values and the principles that underpin good practice and is supported by web-based case studies, GMP in Action. GMC is aiming to keep the guidance up to date and fit for purpose and reflective of developments in healthcare. It will seek to further embed the guidance in doctors’ professional development and practice.

5. To develop more effective relationships with delivery partners in order to achieve an integrated approach to medical education.

Effective regulation, it says, needs to operate at four levels: personal, team-based, workplace and national. The GMC has to work with others in the health sector to discharge its regulatory functions. It commits to liaising more effectively with local organisations to bridge ‘the perceived gap’ between national and local regulation. A key aim, by 2013, is that NHS and other healthcare providers are working closely with it to up uphold the GMC’s standards of professional conduct.

6. To shape the local, UK, European and international regulatory environment through effective engagement with decision makers, other regulators and interest groups.

The GMC says that supporting regulatory cooperation and learning from good practice elsewhere will help it establish more effective regulation and safer care. It intends to raise the profile of the benefits of more effective and timely information sharing on healthcare professionals between competent authorities.

7. To deliver value for money.

It says it must continue to enhance the credibility of its operations in order to develop its platform to influence policy. It will undertake a range of improvement initiatives to reduce costs and improve the quality of its business processes and services. The GMC claims to have achieved savings of £4m, and will achieve a further £3.2m through the PMETB merger by 2013.

8. To deliver evidence-based policies demonstrating better regulation principles, and to promote equality and diversity.

It commits to consulting in an open, transparent and inclusive manner.

Introducing the strategy, Professor Peter Rubin, chair of the GMC said: “It is vital that we are outward looking and play an active part in the broader regulatory framework, both nationally and internationally. This involves being more in touch with the views of the public, patients and doctors; ensuring that our role in improving standards is understood widely; and working with other healthcare professions, employers and regulators. In this way, our contribution to enhancing the quality of healthcare and patient safety can be maximised.”

On the new developments, he commented: “These complex and extensive changes will be taking place during a period of financial stringency and rapid change within healthcare. The GMC has made great strides over recent years, demonstrating its ability to bring about significant change. So, I am confident that this demanding programme can be successfully delivered. I hope that the importance we place on achieving our aims will be shared by the public, patients, doctors and all the organisations with which we work.”

Read the full strategy and business plan.

Tags: GMC