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Background
Modern healthcare is complex. Expectations of care and the responsibilities of medical professionals are evolving. New challenges include, among other things, disease outbreaks, novel technologies, health misinformation and workforce shortages. Despite this changing medical scene, doctors and patients continue to want to provide and receive the best possible care. In difficult situations, doctors may thus find professional guidance, ethical codes and legal advice or precedents helpful.
Information about the current guidance
The General Medical Council (GMC) regulates doctors in the UK. Its Good Medical Practice guidance describes professional standards for registered doctors.1 The 2024 guidance (published August 2023) was effective from 30 January 2024. It will apply to physician associates and anaesthesia associates once they are regulated by the GMC.
A version of Good Medical Practice was first published in 1995, with updates every 3–10 years thereafter.2 The last major update was in 2013. The 2024 guidance was developed using (1) evidence from public inquiries, published reports and commissioned research, (2) advice from an external forum of 11 medical and non-medical experts, and (3) consultation with medical professionals, patients and the public. It is considered a shared agreement of good practice.
While its core principles remain largely similar, Good Medical Practice 2024 incorporates several updates to reflect the needs and values of the profession and wider society (box 1). In this review, we focus on aspects of the guidance with particular implications or nuances in paediatric practice.
What do I need to know: key updates highlighted by the General Medical Council16
Creating respectful, fair and compassionate workplaces: Help create a culture that is respectful, fair, supportive and compassionate by role modelling behaviours.
Promoting patient-centred care: Listen to patients, encourage open dialogue about their health, respond honestly to questions and check their understanding.
Helping to tackle discrimination: Do not abuse, discriminate against, bully or harass anyone for any reason. Take action if you witness these behaviours.
Championing fair …
Footnotes
Contributors RJ wrote the first draft of the review with further review, editing and finalisation by RJ and DK.
Funding RJ holds an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship (reference ACF-2021-18-019).
Disclaimer The funders had no role in the conceptualisation of the article, in the interpretation of evidence, in the writing of the manuscript or in the decision to publish the article. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the GMC, NIHR, NHS or the UK Department of Health and Social Care.
Competing interests DK was a member of the GMC Council from 2013 to 2020 and was Chair of the Board of Pension Trustees at the GMC from 2021 to 2023. RJ declares no competing interests.
Provenance and peer review Commissioned; externally peer reviewed.