The General Medical Council (GMC) is writing to doctors who may be able to help the NHS tackle the coronavirus pandemic. There are around 15,500 qualified and experienced doctors with a UK address, who left the register or gave up their licence within the last 3 years, who could be eligible to return.
Action would be taken under Section 18a of the Medical Act 1983 which allows the Secretary of State for Health to ask regulators to automatically grant temporary registration to non-practising doctors.
Chair of the Doctors’ Association UK, Dr Rinesh Parmar, said in a statement: “This letter is a positive first step and will enable doctors to carefully consider their own position and whether they would be able to return to practise. Returning doctors however will have a number of important questions which the GMC cannot answer.
“With concerns over a lack of personal protective equipment already being raised by practising doctors, many considering a return may be concerned about their own safety. The impact on their pensions and terms and conditions are also not clear. The Government must urgently publish a full guide addressing all these concerns if they are to allay fears and encourage retired doctors back to the frontline.”
Excerpt from Medscape
