A new initiative will provide more support for doctors attending a General Medical Council (GMC) fitness to practise hearing.

An online hearing room will allow doctors, patients, and witnesses to take a virtual step inside a hearing, and users can tour the room and see who is attending, and why.

The site includes virtual versions of all those who might attend a hearing, such as lay and medical members of the panel, and a doctor's representative. All 12 of these characters can be clicked on for an explanation of who they are and what role they play in a hearing. The site also shows the reception area and waiting rooms for doctors and witnesses so that anyone attending a hearing can arrive feeling more comfortable with their surroundings.

In addition, the GMC has also launched the Information for doctors initiative. This involves the provision of information to doctors whose cases are due to be considered by a Fitness to Practise Panel on the GMC website as well as a booklet about what to expect at hearings.

The GMC is also launching a project to support vulnerable witnesses. This project allows witnesses to come into the GMC's buildings in advance of the hearing and be shown round. They can also ask to be joined by an independent 'friend,' assigned on the day of the hearing, to provide support. The project builds on an existing section for witnesses on the GMC website with photos of the building and information about the processes which they can expect.

Paul Philip, the GMC's Director of Standards and Fitness to Practise, said,

"The vast majority of doctors do a good job in often difficult circumstances. We know this because of the 218,000 doctors practising in the UK, we receive around 5,000 complaints per year, and around 200 come before a public hearing.

"But attending and giving evidence in a hearing can be a daunting process for members of the public and doctors alike. We hope that this initiative will offer some peace of mind to all those who are called to give evidence at our hearings, and that the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the process and the look and feel of a hearing will help to demystify it.

"As a regulator, our policy making processes and procedures are open and transparent. We take our responsibility to deal firmly and fairly with doctors whose fitness to practise is in doubt seriously, but we don't lose sight of those whose core duty it is ours to protect - that is, patients and the public."

Dr Nick Clements, Head of Medical Services (Leeds), Medical Protection Society said: "We should welcome this approach - it's very useful material to assist people unfamiliar with the GMC process - whether they are a witness, or a doctor facing charges. It helps create a feeling of familiarity with the process that should help to reduce the stress associated with attending a hearing."

The virtual hearing room can be viewed here.

To find out more about the Information for doctors initiative visit here.

To find out more about the vulnerable witnesses project visit here.

Source
General Medical Council