The General Medical Council has given doctors guidance on their duties when acting as expert witnesses in an attempt to allay fears that the role is a minefield in which a misstep could land them in trouble with regulators.

The GMC points out that doctors who give evidence in court are bound by the principles of good practice laid down in its core guidance Good Medical Practice. The latest guidance, Acting as an Expert Witness, expands on those principles and clarifies their application to a doctor …