16 September 2011
The General Medical Council have published useful new data on the working lives of doctors today (16 Sept 2011). Among the recommendations is a call for Doctors arriving in the UK to be given a routine induction into UK medical practice. The Royal College of Surgeons fully supports this idea.
Professor Norman Williams, President of the Royal College of Surgeons, said: “Guiding doctors who are new to the UK on how to practice within our professional, language, ethical and legal boundaries is a positive role for the General Medical Council to take on and one the Royal College of Surgeons would strongly endorse. We want to see any potential problems headed off before situations develop that might harm patients. This means recruiting the right people, giving them the adequate support to do their jobs well and leaving them in no doubt as to the personal professional responsibility they must uphold. Earlier this year the RCS produced standards for locums which echo this report, calling for induction as well as close mentoring of new recruits from abroad.”
