‘It’s important we all behave’: Medical regulator revamps its guideline ‘bible’ with goal of eradicating bullying and harassment on NHS wards
- There are mounting concerns more doctors could retire or quit the NHS
- General Medical Council — its regulator — has updated its guidance
- It is hoped this could help retain staff, and foster a more supportive atmosphere
The doctors’ ‘bible’ is being updated to tackle bullying and sexual harassment following a spate of scandals exposed by the profession’s own #MeToo movement.
It is the first time the General Medical Council (GMC) guidelines has been changed in nearly a decade and comes as the NHS tries to improve staff retention.
The new framework will put emphasis on behaviour at work, such as ‘challenging conduct that could be considered harassment, discrimination or bullying’.
It follows a series of high profile sex scandals that have led to female surgeons sharing stories of bullying and harassment in the workplace.
Last week it emerged an NHS consultant at a London hospital had ordered a female trainee to strip off in his hotel room after getting the answer to a question wrong.
In another case, a doctor at Shrewsbury hospital was struck off last year after groping the breasts, thighs and bottoms of female medics working beside him.
And in a third, a married orthopaedic doctor also in the capital was struck off after smacking the bottoms of two medical students.
About one in 10 jobs across the health service are currently vacant, and among doctors one in 20 positions are going unfilled.
The General Medical Council – which holds the register for doctors in the UK – is updating its guidance to place more emphasis on bullying and harassment in the workplace. (Pictured: Doctors at Derriford hospital in Plymouth)
Charlie Massey, chief executive of the GMC — which holds the register of doctors able to practice in the UK — told the The Times: ‘Medicine is a team sport.
‘And it’s important that within teams we all behave and act in a way that’s professional and supports each other and enables everybody to give their best.’
He told the newspaper they were trying to ‘create the cultures, the behaviours, the values that mean these things are less likely to happen, or if they do happen, people feel empowered to speak up’.
The GMC is a public body responsible for maintaining the UK’s register of doctors, which allows them to practice in the profession.
Its guidance was last updated in 2013 to include suggestions on how to be a good doctor, which includes ensuring taking care of a patient is the first concern and taking prompt action if it appears a patient’s safety is being compromised.
It comes amid concerns many doctors have stayed on to help during the pandemic, but could now leave as the worst of the pressure appears to be over.
Surveys show many doctors are reporting burnout as well as feeling they are not being valued at work.
A loss of more doctors will leave the NHS further struggling to clear its waiting list, which has already reached a record high of 6.1million people.
But there are fears this could double to more than 12million people by 2025 as more patients that had missed out on vital care come forward.
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