Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plan her Department has to improve the level of awareness among primary care professionals of (a) sarcoma and (b) other childhood cancers.

General practitioners (GPs) are responsible for maintaining their clinical knowledge and identifying learning needs through continuing professional development. This should include take account of new research and developments, such as guidance produced by the National Institute for Health and Care.

All United Kingdom registered doctors are expected to meet the professional standards set out in the General Medical Council’s (GMC) Good Medical Practice. In 2012 the GMC introduced revalidation which supports doctors in regularly reflecting on how they can develop or improve their practice and promotes improved quality of care through improvements in clinical governance.

The training curricula for postgraduate trainee doctors is determined by the relevant medical Royal College and must meet the standards set by the General Medical Council. Whilst curricula do not necessarily highlight specific conditions, it emphasises the skills and approaches a doctor must develop in order to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients.