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Surgeon’s return to work highlights need for urgent reform of GMC

BMJ 2011; 343 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.d7218 (Published 07 November 2011) Cite this as: BMJ 2011;343:d7218
  1. Clare Dyer
  1. 1BMJ

The UK government is considering giving the General Medical Council the right to appeal against decisions of its independent panels that it considers are too lenient, after the House of Commons Health Committee urged ministers in July “to move quickly to make the necessary legislative amendments” (BMJ Careers, 30 Jul, http://careers.bmj.com/careers/advice/view-article.html?id=20004023)

But any change could be delayed by the Department of Health’s decision to ask the Law Commission, the official law reform body, to look at the whole system for regulating healthcare and social care professionals, with a view to simplifying it.

The issue of the GMC’s powers was highlighted this week when Gideon Lauffer, a former consultant surgeon, returned to work even though the GMC had asked the panel considering his case to strike him off. Instead …

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