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GMC’s revalidation plans don’t tackle problem of poorly performing doctors, MPs say

BMJ 2011; 342 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.d872 (Published 08 February 2011) Cite this as: BMJ 2011;342:d872
  1. Clare Dyer
  1. 1BMJ

The General Medical Council’s plans for revalidating doctors in the United Kingdom to ensure they remain fit to practise pay too little attention to how to deal with doctors who give cause for concern, the House of Commons select committee on health has concluded.

“We regard this as an important weakness in the current proposals which the GMC needs to address if the introduction of revalidation is to help sustain public confidence in the medical profession,” say the MPs in a report published today.

The committee calls on the GMC to publish clear guidance to responsible officers—those with responsibility in the workplace for ensuring that revalidation is carried out—on how to deal with such doctors.

It says, “The committee is concerned that the instinctive use of the word ‘remediation’ in cases where a doctor’s performance gives cause for concern may have the effect of pre-judging the appropriate response to a set of circumstances.

“While it is important to ensure that …

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