Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has provided additional training to GPs on (a) identifying and (b) diagnosing to cancers caused by welding fumes in the period since the categorisation of welding fume as a human carcinogen by the Health and Safety Executive in 2019.

General practitioners are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge, including on cancer, remains up-to-date, and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, to ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care to all patients.

All United Kingdom registered doctors are expected to meet the professional standards set out in the General Medical Council’s (GMC’s) Good Medical Practice. In 2012 the GMC introduced revalidation which supports doctors in regularly reflecting on how they can develop or improve their practice, giving patients confidence doctors are up to date with their practice, and promoting improved quality of care by driving improvements in clinical governance. The training curricula for postgraduate trainee doctors is set by the Royal College of General Practitioners, and has to meet the standards set by the General Medical Council.