Note: The Good medical practice consultation has now closed. You can find out more about the review on our web pages.

Professor Colin Melville is Medical Director and Director of Education and Standards at the General Medical Council. Here, he discusses how the updated version aims to build upon the fundamental principles of delivering safe and effective care, addressing challenges medical professionals, including doctors, Anaesthesia Associates (AAs) and Physician Associates (PAs) face now, and into the future.

There is no ‘typical day’ in the life of a medical professional, and a day in 2022 looks very different to a day in 2013.

However, this was the year we last updated Good medical practice, the core guiding principles doctors refer to on the professional values, knowledge and behaviours expected of them while working in the UK.

Back in 2013, the adoption of robot technology and AI in healthcare was in its early stages, as was the widespread influence of smartphones and social media we know today.   Consultations with patients over a video call were extremely rare.

And though technology plays an increasing role in making systems more accurate and efficient, healthcare inequalities continue to become more widespread. The pandemic has seen medical professionals across the world adapting to one of the most pressured periods in healthcare for over a century.

For everyone, the world is very different, and the challenges medical professionals face on a day-to-day basis have changed too. That’s why we’re consulting on an updated version of Good medical practice which builds on the fundamental professional and ethical principles that are consistently important for safe and effective care. We want to create guidance fit for modern medicine, and to do so by working with the medical professionals who will use it, as well as their colleagues and patients.

This update affects everyone, so now we need to hear what you think.

How we work is changing

During the past two years, the importance of working together has never been more under the spotlight. Doctors increasingly work as part of multi-disciplinary and multi-professional teams, including with Physician Associates (PAs), who work across a range of community and hospital settings, and Anaesthesia Associates (AAs) who work as part of anaesthetic teams.

In the future, PAs and AAs will, as well as doctors, be regulated by the GMC. Once that is the case, the duties set out in Good medical practice will apply to them just as they do to doctors.

The draft guidance follows months of working with representatives of frontline doctors, PAs, AAs, employers and patients, and reflects the issues faced by medical professionals in modern-day workplaces. We’ve also worked with experts in medical ethics, human rights and equality, diversity and inclusion.

The draft guidance has significant updates in four areas:

  • Tackling discrimination and promoting fairness and inclusion: For example, addressing inappropriate behaviours between colleagues in a stronger way, particularly in relation to sexual harassment, discrimination and abuse of power.
  • Working in partnership with patients: Such as emphasising the responsibility of medical professionals to support patients to make decisions for themselves.
  • Working effectively with colleagues: For example, promoting behaviours that underpin good professional relationships, including strong communication between all those involved in caring for and treating a patient.
  • Leadership and organisational culture: Including the importance of developing leadership skills appropriate to a medical professional’s role.

Inclusive environments are key

Doctors, PAs and AAs have told us that creating a positive and inclusive environment is significant to providing safe care, and so we’ve focused on culture and the behaviours that make interactions compassionate, civil, inclusive and fair.

Racism, sexual harassment and discrimination have no place in any environment, but we’ve made more explicit how medical professionals should approach them, whether witnessed or experienced in the workplace.

Social media and digital technology are thriving

Many appointments or consultations became video or telephone calls during the pandemic, and though face-to-face consultations are rising again, medicine is becoming increasingly digital. We’ve updated guidance for navigating remote and in-person consultations and the importance of offering a safe, effective and suitable appointment.

The way people access information is also changing, and some doctors have increasing influence on social media. Though the communication standards expected of medical professionals remain the same, the ethical challenges they must navigate in online spaces grow ever more complicated, with increased visibility and scrutiny.

The updated guidance addresses this, including declaring conflicts of interest, being honest and trustworthy and not posting misleading information.

Safe and compassionate care

Good medical practice acts as a common understanding, between medical professionals and patients, on what makes safe and compassionate care. The content will affect us and those we care about in our lifetime, and that’s why it’s so important we hear from a diverse range of people in this consultation.

It’s there to guide, and we’ve made it easier for busy medical professionals to find what they’re looking for quickly, and to apply its principles in the increasingly complex, varied and busy environments they’re working in.

Why your thoughts matter

By sharing your thoughts, you are contributing to the core principles of high-quality care, helping to make Good medical practice not just fit for the here and now, but for years to come.

Whether you’re a doctor, PA, AA, work in a healthcare setting or are a patient or member of the public, we want to hear from you. We’ve created tailored surveys to make this as straightforward as possible.

The consultation closed on Wednesday 20 July 2022. You can find out more about the review on our web page.