Medical Act 1983, Part I — Preliminary (1–2) — Full Text

The General Medical Council.

1

(1) There shall continue to be a body corporate known as the General Medical Council (in this Act referred to as “ the General Council ”) having the functions assigned to them by this Act. (1A) The over-arching objective of the General Council in exercising their functions is the protection of the public. (1B) The pursuit by the General Council of their over-arching objective involves the pursuit of the following objectives— (a) to protect, promote and maintain the health, safety and well-being of the public, (b) to promote and maintain public confidence in the medical profession, and (c) to promote and maintain proper professional standards and conduct for members of that profession. (2) The General Council shall be constituted as provided for by order of the Privy Council, subject to Part 1 of Schedule 1 to this Act. (3) The General Council shall have the following committees— (a) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (b) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (c) one or more Registration Panels , (d) one or more Registration Appeals Panels, (e) the Investigation Committee, (f) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (g) the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (“the MPTS”), (h) one or more Medical Practitioners Tribunals, (i) one or more Interim Orders Tribunals, constituted in accordance with Part III of Schedule 1 to this Act and having the functions assigned to them by or under this Act. (3A) The committees of the General Council specified in ... subsection (3) above are referred to in this Act as “the statutory committees”. (4) Schedule 1 to this Act shall have effect with respect to the General Council, its branch councils and committees, its proceedings, its officers and its accounts.

Registration of medical practitioners.

2

(1) There shall continue to be kept by the registrar of the General Council (in this Act referred to as “ the Registrar ”) a register of medical practitioners registered under this Act containing the names of those registered and the qualifications they are entitled to have registered under this Act. (2) The register referred to is “the register of medical practitioners” consisting of the following lists — (a) the principal list, (aa) if anyone is registered under section 18A, the emergency powers doctors list, and (b) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (c) the visiting overseas doctors list, ... (d) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (3) Medical practitioners shall be registered as fully registered medical practitioners or provisionally ... as provided in Parts II and III of this Act and in the appropriate list of the register of medical practitioners ... as provided in Part IV of this Act. (4) Section 35C(2)(da) (the necessary knowledge of English) shall not apply in determining whether a person’s fitness to practise is impaired for the purposes of registration under this Act.