RCS England responds to new GMC standards coming into effect

The General Medical Council's (GMC) updated version of Good medical practice, which details the principles, values and standards expected of doctors working in the UK, will come into effect today (30 January). 

Responding to the new guidance coming into effect, Mr Tim Mitchell, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said:  

“I am particularly pleased to see specific guidance in Good medical practice on preventing bullying and sexual harassment. There is no place for these abhorrent behaviours in UK medicine and they bring shame to the profession. We need to create a work environment where every person feels welcome, safe and protected. The GMC’s new standards send a strong message to the profession that these behaviours will not be tolerated.  

“Good medical practice is the foundation upon which all doctors in the UK base their practice. It provides the compass by which we navigate the ethical issues we can face in giving patients the best possible care. The last decade has seen many changes in medicine and with that an evolving medical workforce. It is important that the profession has an up to date set of standards that reflects those changes.  

"We are currently reviewing our own core standards document, Good Surgical Practice, to make sure it reflects changes to the GMC’s guidelines and that it makes clear that sexual misconduct is completely unacceptable."

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1. RCS England provides world-class education, assessment and development to 30,000 surgeons, dental professionals and members of the wider surgical and dental care teams, at all stages of their careers. Our vision is to see excellent surgical care for everyone. We do this by setting professional standards, facilitating research and championing the best outcomes for patients.
2. For more information, please contact the Press Office: Telephone: 020 7869 6053/6054/6047; Email: pressoffice@rcseng.ac.uk; Out-of-hours media enquiries: 0207 869 6056.