GMC to cut investigations to reduce stress on doctors

The UK General Medical Council plans to cut the number of full investigations it carries out, as part of a comprehensive package to reduce stress on doctors who have complaints made against them.1

More cases will be screened out after early inquiries, rather than proceeding to a full investigation, and more concerns will be dealt with locally by a doctor’s employer.

The changes follow recommendations by Louis Appleby, professor of psychiatry at the University of Manchester, who was appointed by the UK medical regulator last December to review its fitness to practise …