A referral or complaint to the regulator is a stressful event in any doctor’s career. Of particular concern is the disproportionality of referrals of doctors from South Asian backgrounds and International Medical Graduates, who are also likely to have more adverse outcomes when they are referred. The impact on the mental health of these doctors cannot be underestimated. The work undertaken by the GMC to address these inequities also shows that some doctors die by suicide while under investigation.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists has the retention and well-being of psychiatrists as well as addressing inequalities as its key strategic priorities. As experts in providing mental healthcare, psychiatrists can also provide leadership on behalf of the medical profession across all specialties to work collaboratively with the GMC to address some of the mental health impacts on doctors who are referred for Fitness to Practise concerns.
With mental health problems being the most common reason for staff sickness (around 25%) in the NHS, and retention of staff a continuing challenge, it is crucial that the issue of regulatory stress and burden including the fear and shame felt by doctors is addressed, as this will ultimately lead to safer practice and care.
Based on available guidance and literature, and initial conversations between the GMC and RCPsych, we propose ways in which the two organisations can work together to create fairer and more compassionate processes around doctors’ referrals to the regulator.
These include:
- Improving communication and support at the point of referral
- More consistent working between the GMC and healthcare provider organisations
- The GMC outreach service to promote early intervention to prevent inappropriate referral
- Provision of sensitive mental health support for those referred
- For decision makers to better understand the cultural aspects of professionalism in medicine.
Learning objectives
By attending this session you will:
- Gain understanding of the developing collaborative approach between RCPsych and the GMC to support doctors who have been referred to the regulator, including ways in which the mental health of referred colleagues can be better supported
- Gain a better understanding of more preventative and early intervention approaches to reduce inappropriate referrals to the regulator
- Gain understanding of the concept of medical professionalism and its cultural components
- Gain better understanding of GMC Outreach team and their role in working with a provider organisation’s medical leadership, to ensure fairer and more compassionate regulatory processes and decisions.
Speakers
Chair: Dr Lade Smith CBE, President, Royal College of Psychiatrists, London
Dr Ananta Dave, NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board, Wolverhampton
Mrs Tista Chakravarty-Gannon, General Medical Council, London
Dr Ellen Wilkinson, Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Bodmin
Availability
This webinar is part of the Congress webinar 2025 package. If you attended all four days of Congress, you will have access to these as part of your Congress package. Otherwise the Congress webinar 2025 package can be purchased below.
