Guidance on how doctors should behave in work has been revised for the first time in a decade, outlining new standards on sexual harassment, whistleblowing and bullying to ensure staff “feel supported to speak out”.
The General Medical Council (GMC) has published its new good medical practice guidelines, which sets out standards of patient care and professional behaviour expected of all medical professionals.
Its predecessor came into force in April 2013 and the new standards will be implemented from January 2024 after a five-month familiarisation period for staff.
Among the changes is guidance on sexual harassment, which has been included by the regulator for the first time as part of a “zero tolerance” approach.
It said doctors “must not act in a sexual way towards colleagues with the effect or purpose of causing offence, embarrassment, humiliation or distress”.
This includes verbal or written comments and displaying or sharing images, as well as physical contact.
It adds to existing guidelines that medics must not act in a sexual way towards patients or use their position to pursue “sexual or improper” relationships.
The 2013 guide also placed a duty on all doctors to raise concerns about patient safety, but the 2024 document places emphasis on doctors in leadership and management conditions to create a culture in which staff feel safe to speak out about concerns.
There have been calls to overhaul the NHS whistleblowing system in the wake of the Lucy Letby trial after...
Police have launched an investigation into alleged false accusation by Park Cheol-min, a former member of the Seongnam International Mafia. Park, ahead of the 2022 presidential election, raised al...