1. Routine data sharing (digital sharing of data and intelligence)

Routine sharing of data and intelligence is an important way of making sure that both the GMC and CQC can fulfil their functions effectively.

The GMC routinely shares published information about the fitness to practise of individual doctors with CQC, and data on the quality of medical education and training.

Examples of current routine information sharing between CQC and GMC include:

• information provided by the GMC for CQC inspection activity, including data from the GMC’s annual national training survey, primarily through provision of the Regulator/Designated Body Dashboard
• the GMC shares its monthly summary on enhanced monitoring with CQC. This lists all organisations delivering medical education or training where the GMC’s Education team has active concerns, has set conditions on approval, or is preparing to remove approval from a training environment
• CQC shares a weekly output covering the most recent judgements
• the GMC sends a monthly decision circular to CQC. This lists all sanctions (whether interim or substantive) and warnings brought against UK registered doctors in the previous month. It also lists those doctors who have taken voluntary erasure, or have been administratively erased, while in GMC fitness to practise processes.

Information about a doctor’s health is always kept confidential.

The information can also be provided on request, and a doctor’s registration status can be checked by searching the List of Registered Medical Practitioners on the GMC’s website.

The GMC also tells CQC about forthcoming fitness to practise panel hearings, which are held by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS).

The MPTS interim orders tribunals can place conditions on a doctor’s registration, or suspend a doctor, when there are particularly serious allegations making it appropriate to restrict the doctor’s practice during investigation. These restrictions and suspensions are included in the decisions circular, but it is important to note that the allegations have not been fully investigated and may be unfounded.

2. Emerging and urgent concerns