Good Medical Practice – Duties of a doctor
The UK General Medical Council (GMC) publication Good Medical Practice details the duties of a doctor, and specifies the required standard of personal and professional conduct. Patients are encouraged to familiarise themselves with its content. All doctors working at Aviation Medical Services who consult with patients are registered with the GMC and have a licence to practise; they are required to practise in accordance with Good Medical Practice, and are required to demonstrate at their annual appraisals that they do so. The evidence provided at the annual appraisal is used as the basis for 5-yearly revalidation by the GMC of a doctor’s licence to practise. A doctor’s registration and licence status is shown on the GMC register, which can be searched using name or registration number. Dr Tallent’s GMC number is 2709521.
Obtaining feedback from patients and reflecting on it is a mandatory duty of all doctors holding a licence to practise; from time to time Aviation Medical Services will request patient feedback using standard questionnaires that comply with GMC guidance. In addition, feedback independent of standard questionnaires is welcome, and might comprise a compliment, complaint, or constructive criticism. In particular any patient who feels that they have not been treated in accordance with Good Medical Practice should let us know so that any non-compliance can be addressed and rectified.
Good Medical Practice comprises 4 domains, each of which has several attributes. These are listed below; the full publication is available on the GMC website.
Domain 1: Knowledge, skills and performance
(a) Develop and maintain professional performance (para 7-13)
(b) Apply knowledge and experience to practice (para 14-18)
(c) Record work clearly, accurately and legibly (para 19-21)
Domain 2: Safety and quality
(a) Contribute to and comply with systems to protect patients (para 22-23)
(b) Respond to risks to safety (para 24-27)
(c) Protect patients and colleagues from any risk posed by the doctor’s health (para 28-30)
Domain 3: Communication, partnership and teamwork
(a) Communicate effectively (para 31-34)
(b) Work collaboratively with colleagues to maintain or improve patient care (para 35-38)
(c) Teaching, training, supporting and assessing (para 39-43)
(d) Continuity and coordination of care (para 44-45)
(e) Establish and maintain partnerships with patients (para 46-52)
Domain 4: Maintaining trust
(a) Show respect for patients (para 53-55)
(b) Treat patients and colleagues fairly and without discrimination (para 56-64)
(c) Act with honesty and integrity (para 65-80)