General Medical Council

About: General Medical Council is a government organization based out in London, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Health care & Public health. The organization has 69 authors who have published 111 publications receiving 1663 citations. The organization is also known as: GMC.

Acting as an expert witness

Abstract: On the day the General Medical Council publishes its guidance on acting as an expert witness, Graeme Catto, the council’s president, explains the background to the document

Building on the GMC's achievements

Abstract: Revalidation is under scrutiny. The GMC plans to play an important part in developing an effective system The fifth report of the Shipman inquiry provided a thorough and considered analysis of the issues surrounding fitness to practise.1 We must all approach the report in the spirit of learning from the past and as a source of ideas for improving the protection of patients in the future. The government's proposals to improve death certification and for tighter regulation of controlled drugs2 will, alongside clinical governance, help stop another Harold Shipman. Nevertheless, the General Medical Council recognises that further changes are required to our processes. ![][1] How can we ensure new doctors remain fit to practise? Credit: www.topfoto.co.uk Some have argued that no general lessons can be drawn from the Shipman case. I believe that view is mistaken. Of course many of the circumstances were specific, but much broader, historical issues were raised. These include: Dame Janet Smith, the chairman of the inquiry, acknowledged that much has changed for the better, but we all have more to do, whether within our regulatory bodies, healthcare organisations, or clinical teams or as individual healthcare professionals. We need to ensure that further … [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif

What’s wrong with WhatsApp?

Abstract: With the birth of social networking sites, use of blog and Twitter accounts during conferences, and the introduction of iPads in medical schools and hospitals across the UK, it is no wonder that the use of WhatsApp to communicate between clinicians has been enthusiastically embraced by some. With currently over 1.5 billion monthly active users, it acts as a bleep, computer, camera, audio recorder, data storage device and telephone.1 2 A recent study also concluded that half a million National Health Service staff are using messaging applications, such as WhatsApp.3 With a working wireless or data connection, users can send free messages to each other via end-to-end encryption.4 A message is forwarded through a WhatsApp server to the recipient. When the recipient has internet connection, the message is received on their device and deleted from the server. If the message is not delivered within 1 month, it is automatically deleted from the server. End-to-end encryption was introduced in April 2016 to protect messages from ‘hackers’ as they are delivered. This feature ensures messages can only be unlocked by the recipient, so only they can read the message. Of 28 investigations closed by the General Medical Council (GMC) between January 2015 and June 2017, 3 were related to doctors’ use of WhatsApp.5 Good Medical Practice states that ‘you should remember when using social media that communications intended for friends or family may become more widely available’.6 So are clinicians using WhatsApp cautiously? Who is invigilating its use? Or have we stepped into a grey area where the traditional bleep system is being replaced by a new era of communication. Despite the widespread …

'Test, test, test' even after death: persistence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in postmortem nasopharyngeal swabs

Abstract: Over 57 00 deaths have been attributed to COVID-19 in the UK.1–3 It is feared that the true figure is higher as there were over 16 000 ‘excess’ deaths between March and June 2020 in which COVID-19 was not a certified cause.1 4–6 Non-COVID causes, possibly related to the lockdown, would have accounted for some of this difference. However, the lack of community testing and challenges of performing autopsies7 mean that many COVID-19 deaths remain undetected. Missed infections represent lost opportunities on many levels. Incomplete mortality data underestimate the burden of disease, particularly in high-risk groups who may not seek medical care. Unrecognised COVID-19 deaths have serious public health implications and impede …