5 Conclusion
69. As we said at the beginning
of this report, as a mechanism to improve the scrutiny of the
GMC we now intend to exercise the accountability function nominally
held by the Privy Council on behalf of Parliament.
70. In order to do this, we
expect to invite the GMC to give oral evidence on its annual report
each year. As we have gone through this
inquiry, a number of issues have arisen that we feel would benefit
from continuing investigation, such as:
- What happens in cases where
the performance of an individual doctor gives rise to concern
- The operation of the appraisal system, and its
consistent implementation across the country
- The administrative burden that appraisal and
revalidation place on doctors
- The way in which patients and colleagues are
involved in revalidation
- Where Responsible Officers who are currently
based in PCTs will be sited in future
- The adequacy of the powers available to the GMC
to ensure that doctors for whom English is a second language are
able to communicate effectively with their patients.
71. We look forward to discussing
these and other issues with the GMC at the first of these regular
meetings later in the year.
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