UK Act of Parliament 1983 United Kingdom

Medical Act 1983

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At a glance

Enforced by

GMC

What's here

27 compliance obligations, 1 practical guide · 2 journeys

Penalty landscape

3 of 27 obligations carry an unlimited fine. 24 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.

Who this Act binds

Business-side actors with duties under this Act, ranked by how often they appear.

  • Any Person 6
  • Employer 1

Plus 20 non-business duties on Crown ministers, regulators, local authorities or tribunals — shown collapsed under each section below.

Step-by-step journeys using this legislation

Walkthroughs that take you from a real business situation to compliance.

Relevant guidance

Practical guides for businesses affected by this Act, ordered by how closely they engage with it.

Supporting — topic alignment

1 guides

Other Acts binding the same actors

For each actor bound by this Act, the other UK Acts that bind them most often. Useful for understanding the full compliance landscape facing each role.

Any Person also bound by 749 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Employers also bound by 171 other Acts (top 5 shown)

What this Act requires

Sections that create concrete duties on businesses or carry penalties. Procedural and definitional sections are folded into the “Browse other sections” expander at the bottom of each group. Click any section title to read the source text on legislation.gov.uk.

Part I — Preliminary

Browse 2 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part II — Medical Education and Registration: Persons Qualifying in the United Kingdom and Elsewhere in the EEC.

Browse 18 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.010

Programmes for provisionally registered doctors

s.010

Professional traineeships carried out in ... relevant European States, etc.

s.014

Full registration of EEA nationals etc without certain acquired rights certificates

s.015

Provisional registration for EEA nationals etc

s.018

Temporary registration with regard to emergencies involving loss of human life or human illness etc.

Part III — Registration of Persons Qualifying Overseas

s.021

Further provision relating to the registration of specified state professionals

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • GMC must set and manage exams or training for overseas doctors Statutory regulator
Browse 17 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.019

Full registration of EEA nationals etc by virtue of overseas qualifications accepted by a relevant European State ...

s.021

Full registration for eligible specialists and qualified general practitioners

s.021

Full registration of persons with an overseas qualification

s.021

Provisional registration of persons with an overseas qualification

s.027

Temporary registration for visiting eminent specialists

s.027

Special purpose registration

Part IIIA — LICENCE TO PRACTISE AND REVALIDATION

s.029

Grant, refusal and withdrawal of licence

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Licensing authority must notify practitioners of licence decisions and rights Statutory regulator
s.029

Dealing with questions as to impairment of fitness to practise

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • GMC must notify a doctor and investigate fitness to practise concerns Statutory regulator
s.029

Restoration of licence

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • GMC must provide notice and reasons for refusing to restore a medical licence Statutory regulator
s.029

Information for specified state professionals

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • GMC must provide comprehensive practice and standard information to professionals Statutory regulator
Browse 7 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.029

Regulations as to licence to practise and revalidation

s.029

Evidence

s.029

Disclosure by a licensing authority of information relating to revalidation

s.029

Appeals

s.029

Guidance

s.029

Notices

s.029

Miscellaneous

Part 4A — POSTGRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING

s.034

The Specialist Register

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • GMC must maintain the Specialist Register for medical practitioners Statutory regulator
s.034

Applications for inclusion in the General Practitioner Register or the Specialist Register

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • GMC must set rules for GP and Specialist Register applications Statutory regulator
s.034

Removal of names from the General Practitioner Register and the Specialist Register

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • GMC Registrar must manageGP and Specialist Register entries Statutory regulator
s.034

Postgraduate medical education and training: general functions

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • GMC must set and maintain standards for postgraduate medical training Statutory regulator
s.034

Award and withdrawal of a Certificate of Completion of Training

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • GMC must award or withdraw certificates of completion of training Statutory regulator
Browse 8 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.034

The General Practitioner Register

s.034

Acquired rights of general practitioners

s.034

Postgraduate medical education and training: approvals

s.034

Minimum requirements for general practice training

s.034

Minimum requirements for specialist training

s.034

Visitors

s.034

Power to require information

s.034

Fees

Part IV — General Provisions Concerning Registration

s.030

The registers.

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • GMC Registrar must maintain and update the medical registers Statutory regulator
s.034

Publication of the registers

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • GMC Registrar must publish and maintain the medical registers Statutory regulator
Browse 7 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.030

The register: emergency powers doctors list

s.031

Voluntary removal from ... any of the registers.

s.034

Proof of registration

s.034

Registration and training appeals

Part 5A — Responsible Officers

s.045

Regulations under section 45A: further provisions

Unlimited fine
  • Breach regulations regarding 'Responsible Officers' Employer
Browse 5 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.045

Requirement to nominate or appoint responsible officer

s.045

Responsibilities of responsible officer

s.045

Crown application

s.045

Regulations under section 45A: supplementary provisions

s.045

Interpretation of Part 5A

Part V — Fitness to Practise and Medical Ethics

s.035

Notification and disclosure by the General Council

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • GMC must notify employers and publish details of practitioner investigations Statutory regulator
s.035

Provisions supplementary to section 35D

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • MPTS must notify doctors and regulators of fitness to practise decisions Tribunal / Court
s.044

Fitness to practise of exempt persons: sufficient evidence

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • GMC must accept specific health and character evidence from European applicants Statutory regulator
s.044

Approved practice settings

  • Newly registered doctors must work in approved practice settings Any Person
Browse 24 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.035

General Council’s power to require disclosure of information

s.035

Functions of the Investigation Committee

s.035

Provisions supplementary to section 35C

s.035

Functions of a Medical Practitioners Tribunal

s.036

Professional performance.

s.040

Appeals by General Council

s.040

Appeal under section 40A: role of Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care

s.041

Interim Orders

s.041

Interim orders made by committees other than the Interim Orders Committee

s.041

Effect of directions or orders on a licence to practise

s.044

Effect of disqualification or conviction on registration

s.044

Provision of information in respect of fitness to practise matters

s.044

Indemnity arrangements

Part VI — Privileges of Registered Practitioners

s.049

Penalty for pretending to hold a licence to practise

Unlimited fine
  • Falsely claim to hold a medical licence to practise Any Person
Browse 2 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part VII — Miscellaneous and General

s.052

Annual reports, statistical reports and strategic plans

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • GMC must publish annual reports, statistics, and strategic plans Statutory regulator
s.052

Annual reports of the MPTS

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • MPTS must publish annual reports on cases, functions, and learning points Statutory regulator
Browse 9 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.049

The Directive: designation of competent authority etc.

Schedules

s.sch003b

Licence to Practise and Revalidation: Appeals

  • Appeal a decision regarding your medical licence Any Person
Browse 9 other Schedules — structural / supplementary
s.sch002a

Visiting medical practitioners from relevant European states

s.sch003a

Registration and Training Appeals

s.sch004a

Directive 2005/36: functions of the General Council under section 49B(3)

Read the full Act on legislation.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)

Official guidance

Authoritative sources published by regulators or government explaining this legislation.

Enforcement and responsible bodies

The regulators that administer or enforce this legislation.

GMC

General Medical Council

Statutory regulator for doctors in the UK. Maintains the medical register, sets standards for medical education and practice, and investigates fitness to …

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