GMC reference checking — fitness to practise and Good Medical Practice evidence for doctors

What GMC registration means for employment references

The GMC registers doctors in the UK and sets standards through Good Medical Practice. GMC fitness to practise proceedings are triggered by concerns reported by employers, colleagues, patients or the doctor themselves. But many doctor conduct concerns — clinical incidents, complaints, capability procedures, restriction of practice agreements — are resolved by employing NHS trusts or private providers without GMC referral. A doctor with a significant clinical performance history may have a completely unrestricted GMC registration.

GMC conduct questions in employment references

RefAssure GMC-aligned reference templates include mandatory questions about clinical practice standards, professional conduct with patients and colleagues, any clinical incidents or significant events, any complaints or disciplinary proceedings, any restriction of practice arrangements, and whether the referee has any concerns about the candidate's fitness to practise as a doctor. These questions are designed to surface the conduct information that GMC registration status and DBS checks cannot reveal.

For NHS trusts appointing consultants, GPs and junior doctors, and for locum agencies supplying doctors to NHS sites, RefAssure provides GMC-relevant reference evidence at 99p per reference. Every reference generates a PDF with full audit trail satisfying NHS Employment Check Standards and CQC Regulation 19.