How does the General Medical Council work?

The General Medical Council [GMC] was established by the Medical Act 1858 and is entrusted with regulating the UK’s medical profession. It is also a fee-based Charity [Number 1089278].

Despite its role in investigating alleged misconduct and imposing sanctions on doctors who step out of line, the GMC is not a court. Rather, it is a quasi-judicial body, as established by GMC v BBC 1998.

The distinction is subtle, but significant in respect of which laws apply to the GMC’s actions. Continue reading

Who’s Who: Bill Morgan, special adviser on policy development

Today’s Who’s Who profile on Bill Morgan comes from a report by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, which looked at the links between Morgan and his previous employers:

“Mr Morgan came to [Andrew] Lansley’s office in July 2010 having been director for the health arm of Mandate Communications, a public relations company which has since merged with MHP communications. Continue reading

Who’s Who: Mark Simmonds

Mark Simmonds, October 2009

Mark Simmonds, October 2009, image from Wikimedia Commons

As a first attempt at our ‘Who’s Who’ series following key individuals in health, I thought it might be worth starting with Mark Simmonds, the Conservative MP and former health spokesman. This was kicked off by a post on Sturdyblog which succinctly gives some backround:

“Mark Simmonds is the former Conservative Shadow Health Spokesman and a vocal supporter of the government’s controversial Health and Social Care Bill. Circle Health pay Mr Simmonds £50k a year (on top of his £65k MP salary) for 10 hours’ work a month, as “an advisor”. Continue reading