Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what role the General Medical Council plays in (a) assessing and (b) enforcing safeguarding measures put in place by NHS trusts after patients have made serious allegations of sexual assault.

The General Medical Council (GMC) is the independent regulator of medical doctors in the United Kingdom, and is not responsible for assessing or enforcing measures put in place by National Health Service trusts.

All UK registered doctors are expected to meet the professional standards set out in the GMC’s Good Medical Practice. To maintain their licence to practise, a doctor must demonstrate, through the revalidation process, that they work in line with the principles and values set out in this guidance.

If an allegation is made about a doctor that their fitness to practise is impaired, the GMC has a duty to investigate and take action to safeguard the health and well-being of the public. In the most serious cases fitness to practise proceedings can result in doctors being removed from the medical register.