GMC reform plans condemned as 'betrayal' that won't fix 'broken regulator'

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By Claudia Tanner

Plans for the biggest shake-up of medical regulation in more than 40 years have sparked a furious backlash from medical organisations who say they represent a broken promise and a missed opportunity for genuine reform.

The government has launched a public consultation on sweeping reforms to the General Medical Council (GMC), promising faster action against doctors who engage in racist or sexually abusive behaviour.

However, both the Medical Defence Union (MDU) and the British Medical Association (BMA) have condemned the decision to retain and expand the GMC's right to appeal tribunal decisions.

Plans won't fix 'broken regulator' will, warns BMA

Dr Tom Dolphin, BMA council chair, said the changes were "a far cry from what are needed to fix a broken regulator that is aggressively pursuing doctors and failing the public."

"Rather than restoring the medical profession's confidence in the GMC, or protecting the safety of the public, both will be further eroded," he said.