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General Practices in the UK

There are over 40,000 GPs working in more than 10,000 practices the UK. In 2005 the breakdown of GPs by region was 35,302 in England, 4,538 in Scotland, 1,952 in Wales, and 1,084 in Northern Ireland. The majority of GPs are members of the Royal College Of General Practitioners (RGCP). In 2009 their membership stood at 36,244.

Sources:

RCGP: Impact Report 2009

RCGP: Profile of UK General Practitioners

The Guardian: More than 1,000 GP surgeries are sub-standard, says survey

A Guide to General Practice Regulations in the United Kingdom

The Department of Health decides on health policy and oversees the National Health Serice in the UK.

The General Medical Council (GMC) is the self-regulating body for doctors within the UK. It holds a register of all doctors registered to practice within the UK. The GMC provides detailed information online about the current status of all registered doctors. Compensation claims will rest on proof that a failure in the 'Duty to Care' has resulted in injury - these claims are persued throught the civil courts.

The British Medical Association is the chief professional organization for doctors in the UK.

Education

The UK has 32 medical schools spread over a number of administrative regions. Training is usually 5 or 6 years in length though 4 year graduate programmes have become available. The difference in training periods generally applies to theoretical work with set minimums in place for clinical study.

Doctors are ethically responsible for keeping their training up to date through Continuing Professional Development (CPD). All professional associations promote continuing education and organize training. CPD is not mandatory though failure to engage may result in a doctors ability to maintain their 'Duty to Care' coming into question.

Complaints

The GMC will deal with complaints against doctors but its powers only enable it to limit or remove the right to practice: It does not issue fines or grant compensation. The GMC strikes off about 30 doctors each year.

Other complaints should go first to one of the local healthcare authorites.

There is also a health ombudsman (one for each of England, Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland), independant of the profession.

Storage and Access to Medical Records

The UK has a data protection act. This both protects data and covers the right of an individual to access data held on them - including medical data. Furthermore medical data requested by an individual must be presented in an intelligible manner and within a maximun of 40 days from a formal request being made.

Special Focus on Plastic Surgery in Birmingham

Birmingham is the UK's second largest city with a population of just over 1 million people. If you include the surrounding metropolitan area this figure jumps to almost 3.7 million people. It should come as no surprise then that Birmingham is served by the widest selection of cosmetic surgery clinics outside of London. If you're interested in contacting a clinic about cosmetic surgery in Birmingham here are some useful links:

Liposuction in Birmingham
Facelifts in Birmingham
Tummy Tuck Surgery in Birmingham
Breast Implants in Birmingham
Rhinoplasty in Birmingham
Gastric Band Surgery in Birmingham

Resources

Healthcare Commission (for ombudsman/complaints, provider ratings etc)
Website: http://www.healthcarecommission.org.uk/aboutus.cfm

The General Medical Council (GMC)
Website: http://www.gmc-uk.org/
Check status of doctors: http://www.gmc-uk.org/register/search/
Role in complaints: http://www.gmc-uk.org/concerns/complaints_and_role_of_the_gmc/index.asp

The British Medical Association
Website: http://www.bma.org.uk/

British Primary Care Map - the single best source of Doctors in UK information. Check location and contact a General Practice directly.