Public Consultation Launched to seek views on Doctors’ Professional Conduct and Ethics

Wednesday, 23rd June 2021: The Medical Council has today launched a public consultation as part of a review of the Guide to Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Medical Practitioners. One of the functions of the Medical Council is to provide appropriate guidance on matters relating to professional conduct and ethics for doctors.

The Guide provides guidance to doctors on matters related to professional conduct and ethics, including prescribing, responsibilities to patients, medical records and confidentiality, consent to medical treatment and professional practice.

The current (8th) edition of the ‘Guide’ was published in 2016, amended in 2019, and is now due for review in preparation for the publication of the 9th edition. As part of this review, a public consultation is now being held to obtain a broad range of feedback from individuals and organisations.

The purpose of the Guide is to outline principles of professional practice that doctors registered with the Medical Council are expected to follow.

Medical Council President, Dr Suzanne Crowe, said “Professionalism is at the core of the patient doctor relationship and is absolutely fundamental for patient safety and the delivery of high-quality health care.”

“The Guide sets out the principles of professional practice that all doctors registered with the Medical Council are expected to follow and adhere to, for the benefit of the patients they care for, themselves and their colleagues.”

“While primarily produced for doctors, the guide is referenced by patients, educators, indemnifiers, employers and others. In addition to doctors from commencement to end of career, the Council encourages patient, advocacy and representative groups to engage with the consultation,” concluded Dr Crowe.

Ms Jantze Cotter, Director of Professional Competence, Ethics and Research with the Medical Council said “We are very excited to launch this important consultation today. The Guide is reviewed and updated where required once every Council term. We are keen to build on the significant changes made to the 8th edition, ensuring that the Guide remains up to date and reflective of scenarios doctors face in modern medicine, today and in the years ahead.

“The consultation will run for the next six weeks. We want to hear from the medical profession, key stakeholders and the public to ensure that the 9th edition of the Guide is as inclusive and results in guidance that supports doctors across their scope of practice,” concluded Ms Cotter.

Medical Council CEO, Mr Leo Kearns, said “As the current Guide states, it is intended to help doctors make good judgments about the situations that arise in their practice.”

”A doctor’s responsibility continues to be to help the sick and injured, and those seeking medical care, and to give care and treatment that meets their patients’ needs.”

“The Guide focuses on the three pillars of professionalism – partnership, practice and performance, and this consultation and review of the Guide will help better inform the 9th edition of the Guide in supporting doctors in their practice while keeping the patient at the centre of their work,” concluded Mr Kearns.

The Guide to Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Medical Practitioners is used by a broad range of people in a wide range of situations:

• In the education and training of undergraduate medical students
• By registered medical practitioners throughout their career from internship to retirement
• By organisations that support doctors including professional bodies and Colleges, representative organisations and indemnifiers
• Patients and those who support and advocate for themOther professions e.g. legal

The Guide is not a legal code; rather it sets out the principles of professional practice that all doctors registered with the Medical Council are expected to follow and adhere to, for the benefit of the patients they care for, themselves and their colleagues.

The consultation, which opens today 23rd June 2021 and runs for a period of six weeks, closing on the 4th August 2021, is available on www.medicalcouncil.ie