Fitness to practise
One of our most important roles is to ensure doctors are fit to practise medicine. A doctor's fitness to practise is determined by their professional conduct, their competence (application of knowledge and skill), and their physical and mental health.
We have a set of standards which outline what we expect of doctors in all these areas, and we also have procedures to follow if there are concerns about a doctor's conduct, competence or health.
Our principal function is to protect the public, and we will assess and respond to any information that indicates a doctor's fitness to practise is compromised.
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If you have concerns about a registered doctor, you can refer the matter to the Council.
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Doctors get sick too, and when they do it's important that their illness doesn't interfere with their ability to practise medicine safely. A doctor must always be able to practise medicine without putting patients or the public at risk.
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We sometimes require that a doctor has a chaperone present to observe their consultations with patients. We do this to mitigate risk to the patient where there are concerns that the doctor poses a risk of harm or serious risk of harm to the public. This is different from when a chaperone is present as a matter of good medical practice.