Such a change would support the GMC’s work to make the entire medical register more helpful and informative for the millions of patients, employers and doctors who use it every year, as well as future applicants to medical specialty training, including general practice. However, as the RCGP and BMA have set out for some years, a single advanced medical register for senior doctors that recognises them as specialists would simplify the structure of these assurances and make this expertise much clearer. Since 2006 the ‘GP Register’ and (since 1997) the ‘Specialist Register’ have been in place to provide assurance to patients, employers and the profession that a doctor has achieved the standards, knowledge and skills required to practise safely at a senior level.

GP Specialty Training is an intellectually rigorous medical training programme, which enables doctors to gain the skills and experience required to make a huge and vital contribution to healthcare in the UK, providing expert care and treatment to millions of patients. To practice as a GP, UK graduates must complete a minimum of three years General Practitioner Specialty Training (GPST) on a GMC approved programme, pass the Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP) assessments and gain a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT).Īssurance processes are in place to ensure doctors who move to the UK from abroad, or demonstrate equivalent knowledge, skills and experience, also meet these high standards. The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), the British Medical Association (BMA) and the General Medical Council (GMC) recognise that GPs are expert medical generalists, and as such are specialists in general practice.

General practitioners: Specialists in general practice

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