Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the ability of the General Medical Council to investigate concerns about doctors working in the NHS; and if he will make an assessment of the merits of lifting the GMC's 5-year rule on investigations.
Under s.35CC(5) of the Medical Act, an allegation which is more than five years old will only be investigated by the General Medical Council where it is in the public interest to do so.
Five years is considered a reasonable time frame for an allegation to be brought. After that time there may be practical issues for investigation, for example the accessibility of evidence. It would not be appropriate for the regulators to use their resources on cases where there is limited evidence when there is no public interest in investigating.