The GMC will implement recommendations, from in internal review, to address bias in its fitness to practise processes.

The review was commissioned to check how the organisation monitors for and mitigates against bias in its decision-making. It has recommended 23 actions, some of which are already being implemented, while others will be progressed in the coming months.

The report recommendations cover five main areas:

  • The GMC’s approach to auditing the fairness of its work, which will be more consistent and will involve seeking more external feedback.
  • Introducing a single set of decision-making principles to increase consistency across the organisation.
  • Tailoring equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) training for GMC staff across different roles.
  • Publishing more detailed data about GMC fitness to practise processes.
  • Making sure fairness and ED&I are embedded into the way the GMC operates in future, when the Department of Health and Social Care introduces a new regulatory framework for healthcare professionals.

GMC Chief Executive Charlie Massey said:

‘This was a comprehensive review of processes and decision-making across the GMC. We are already implementing many of its recommendations, and work on others will follow as part of our ongoing commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, and to learning from recent cases.

‘A degree of bias is inherent in human nature, and so a fundamental principle of our approach is to look for the risk of bias and to assess the controls we have in place to manage it. The recommendations in this report are key to that.’

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