Good Medical Practice is the General Medical Council (GMC) code of conduct that every UK doctor must follow. The current version came into force on 30 January 2024 and, as of 2026, it remains the latest in-force standard. This guide gives you a clear summary of the four domains and the key changes, so you can speak about it confidently in your medical school interview.
Good Medical Practice is a reliable interview topic year after year, because it defines what professionalism and medical ethics actually mean in the NHS. Whether you face an MMI or a panel interview, expect at least one question that touches on the GMC's standards, the four domains, or the duties of a doctor.
The GMC published the current Good Medical Practice in August 2023, and it took effect for doctors on 30 January 2024. It later applied to physician associates and anaesthesia associates from 13 December 2024. No newer edition has replaced it, so this is the version you should know for interviews in 2026.
This document is central to how doctors are regulated, so showing you understand the standards, the recent changes, and the reasoning behind them will make you stand out at interview. You will not need to memorise it; you will need to explain its principles in your own words.
Are you feeling worried about your upcoming interviews? Our experts are here to help - Try our 1:1 mock interviews to prepare for your interviews.
Good Medical Practice Summary: What You Need to Know
Restructured domains and enhanced content: the current Good Medical Practice is organised into four domains and focuses on continuous learning, patient-centred care, and a safe, respectful workplace culture.
Content changes - there is now more focus on effective communication, informed consent, and respect for patients in achieving patient-centred care.
Tackling misconduct: for the first time, Good Medical Practice sets out an explicit zero-tolerance expectation on sexual harassment and requires doctors to act on bullying, harassment and discrimination they witness (a 'must' for those in leadership roles).
Intentions - New Good Medical Practice aims to address new challenges in the medical field, such as digital technology and complex medical care.
In force since 30 January 2024: the standard has applied to doctors since this date and, as of 2026, remains the version against which all UK doctors are held.
Good Medical Practice: What is it?
Good Medical Practice is a framework encompassing the principles and standards that should guide doctors through their careers. It sets ethical and professional boundaries, ensuring patient safety and trust in the medical community.
More simply - it defines what a good doctor acts like. The principles set out by Good Medical Practice must be applied by a doctor using professional judgment.
Compliance is fundamental for licensing and revalidation. The previous version was published in 2013 (with the original edition dating to 1995), so the current standard is the first substantial rewrite in over a decade.
After a decade, an update was deemed necessary to keep pace with several changes:
Advances in technology - digital health tools, social media, remote consulting etc. require new guidance around appropriate use, confidentiality, integrity
Increasing complexity of care - growing prevalence of chronic conditions, multimorbidity, and need to coordinate care across teams
Workforce challenges - staffing shortages, increased demands, and retention issues highlight the importance of positive cultures and leadership
Societal changes - greater patient awareness, emphasis on holistic care, diversity, and preventing discrimination
The current version aims to equip doctors to navigate these changes while upholding professional standards and acting in patients' best interests. It involves a reorganisation and modernising of the guidance across the four domains.
It involves reorganisation and updates across the four domains of the guidance.
Why Is the GMC’s Good Medical Practice Important?
As described, this document provides standards against which doctors can be held, for the GMC to regulate doctors’ behavior and professionalism.
Should it be reported that a doctor’s behaviour significantly deviates from these standards, action will be taken by the GMC to investigate and enforce consequences.
This is vital for safeguarding patients and maintaining the integrity of the medical profession. It assures the public that healthcare professionals all meet a high level of ethical standards.
👉🏻 Read more: Current NHS Hot Topics
Good Medical Practice: What Are the Key Changes From 2013?
A proportion of the changes made to Good Medical Practice include restructuring the document, such that it is easier to navigate for doctors and other healthcare professionals.
The 4 Domains of Good Medical Practice (GMC)
The four domains are the backbone of the standard, and they are the single most useful thing to memorise for interviews. As of 2026 they are: Domain 1 - Knowledge, skills and development; Domain 2 - Patients, partnership and communication; Domain 3 - Colleagues, culture and safety; and Domain 4 - Trust and professionalism. The GMC stresses that all four are equally important in describing what makes a good doctor.
Notice the new words that signal what changed from 2013: 'development' replaces a narrow focus on performance, 'culture' is added to highlight the workplace environment doctors create for each other, and 'partnership' moves communication and shared decision-making to the front. A neat way to remember them in your interview is to think of one example for each domain from your own work experience or reading.
In the current 2013 Good Medical Practice, the 4 domains include:
Knowledge, Skills, and Performance - staying up-to-date with medical advancements and clinical guidelines.
Safety and Quality - prioritisation of patient well-being and risk management.
Communication, Partnership, and Teamwork - effective communication and relationship building between patients, families, and colleagues.
Maintaining Trust - trust is vital for a successful doctor-patient relationship, and for this to be maintained doctors must act with integrity, honesty, and professionalism.
In the 2024 New Good Medical Practice, these domains will be updated:
Knowledge, Skills, and Development - this domain has been updated to have a greater emphasis on the development of clinical skills and knowledge throughout a doctor’s career, through regular reviews and audits.
Patients, Partnership, and Communication - domain 2 has been updated to focus more on the importance of communication for patient-centered care, patient consent, and respectful communication with patients.
Colleagues, Culture, and Safety - domain 3 has been updated to emphasise the importance of a safe workplace culture for both staff and patients in the NHS.
Trust and professionalism: this domain covers acting with honesty and integrity, maintaining professional boundaries, being open if things go wrong (the duty of candour), and using social media responsibly so that public trust in the profession is protected.
Updated Content in The New Good Medical Practice
As mentioned above, the organisation of Good Medical Practice’s content has been rearranged across the updated domains.
The GMC states that the five key updates to Good Medical Practice work towards;
Creating respectful, fair, and compassionate workplaces for colleagues and patients
Promoting patient-centred care
Tackling discrimination
Championing fair and inclusive leadership
Supporting continuity of care and safe delegation
A significant update is the new inclusion of guidance for doctors who have been subject to or witnessed sexual harassment, bullying, or discrimination within the workplace.
Other general changes:
Structure and format - The 2024 version is shorter, more concise, and organized into 4 domains rather than duties. There is more focus on high-level principles rather than detailed guidance. Explanatory guidance is provided separately.
Terminology - The 2024 version uses the term "medical professionals" rather than "doctors" to reflect the GMC's plans to regulate other groups like physician associates and medical apprenticeships in the future.
Competence - There is more emphasis on working within your competence and keeping skills and knowledge up to date in the 2024 version.
Communication - This gets its own domain in 2024 reflecting the importance of communication skills. There is more guidance on supporting patients to make decisions, sharing information, and meeting language/communication needs.
Partnership - The 2024 version has more focus on respecting patient rights, treating patients as individuals, and empowering self-care. Guidance on conscientious objection is included.
Safety/raising concerns - The 2024 version separates safety into its own domain and provides more guidance on responding to risks, speaking up, and managing health risks.
Leadership - The 2024 version provides guidance on demonstrating leadership behaviours and contributing to a compassionate culture.
Boundaries - Clear guidance on maintaining professional boundaries and expressing personal beliefs is included in 2024.
Candour - The duty of candour is explicitly included in the 2024 version.
Here is a summary of some of the updated guidance and clarifications released by the GMC when the GMP guidelines came into effect in January 2024:
Delegation and Referral: The guidance now emphasises the need for clear instructions and understanding when tasks are delegated. For example, a senior doctor should ensure that a junior doctor or nurse fully understands a patient's care plan before assigning responsibility.
Ending Professional Relationships: The new guidelines suggest trying to resolve issues before ending a doctor-patient relationship. However, in cases of patient violence or safety concerns, immediate termination might be necessary. This includes situations where a patient's behaviour makes others feel unsafe.
Conflicts of Interest: Updated to clearly define what constitutes a conflict of interest, including non-financial aspects like personal relationships or professional gains. It provides a clear approach to handling gifts from patients, ensuring decisions remain unbiased.
Intimate Examinations and Chaperones: Emphasises the importance of patient comfort and consent during intimate exams, even in online consultations. For instance, patients should always know they can stop the examination at any point.
Maintaining Personal and Professional Boundaries: This updated guidance combines previous advice on professional boundaries and sexual behaviour, stressing the importance of maintaining appropriate relationships with both colleagues and patients.
Witness Statements and Legal Proceedings: Doctors providing legal witness or expert evidence are guided on upholding the principles of Good Medical Practice, ensuring their input is accurate, unbiased, and respectful of the legal process.
Social Media Use: The GMC highlights the need for professionalism on social media, balancing personal expression with public trust. Doctors should consider how their online comments can influence public perception and patient trust.
How Does Good Medical Practice Affect Doctors?
Good Medical Practice and Physician Associates
A genuinely current point that impresses interviewers: the GMC began regulating physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs) in December 2024, and Good Medical Practice has applied to them since 13 December 2024. This is why the current version often uses the phrase 'medical professionals' rather than only 'doctors'. In my experience as a GP, the role of PAs has become one of the most debated topics in the NHS, so being able to mention that the GMC now holds them to the same core standard shows real awareness of how the profession is changing.
If you are asked about PAs, you can link it neatly back to Good Medical Practice: clear scope of practice, working within your competence, appropriate supervision, and honesty with patients about who is treating them all flow directly from the standard. That connection between a hot topic and the GMC framework is exactly the kind of joined-up thinking medical schools are looking for.
Doctors have been held against the current Good Medical Practice since it came into force on 30 January 2024. As of 2026, every licensed UK doctor is expected to be familiar with it, and it is the standard used in GMC fitness-to-practise decisions.
Because the core principles carry over from the 2013 version, the current Good Medical Practice did not dramatically change day-to-day practice for most doctors. The clearest shift is the stronger, more explicit focus on workplace culture, behaviour and leadership.
It will, however, hopefully, provide doctors with greater protection against workplace sexual misconduct, bullying, and discrimination.
Why Were the Changes to Good Medical Practice Made?
The previous Good Medical Practice was produced by the GMC in 2013. After more than a decade, the GMC consulted widely and published the current version in August 2023, bringing it into force on 30 January 2024.
The updated Good Medical Practice provides a more comprehensive framework of guidance for doctors. It reflects the changes which have taken place within the medical profession and society within the last decade.
In summary, New Good Medical Practice was commissioned, produced, and published:
To reflect changes within the medical profession and in society
To address new challenges facing the medical profession, such as the increasing complexity of medical care and the growing importance of digital technology.
To ensure that doctors continue to uphold the highest standards of professional conduct and practice.
Good Medical Practice vs the 6 Core Values of the NHS
What is the difference between the GMC’s Good Medical Practice and the 6 Core Values of the NHS? This is a question that is especially high-yield and will make you stand out in your MMI or panel interview.
Firstly, Good Medical Practice is a framework of guidance used to regulate doctors, whilst the NHS Core Values are a statement of the principles of the NHS for healthcare professionals to uphold. Unlike Good Medical Practice, the NHS Core Values cannot be used for the regulation of doctors by the GMC.
The NHS core values are more general and focus on the importance of working together, respecting and compassion, striving to improve, and accountability. The GMC's Good Medical Practice is more specific and focuses on the importance of competence, patient safety, and communication.
However, there are also similarities. The 6 Core Values and Good Medical Practice emphasise the priority of patient-centred care, through effective communication between staff, patients, and families.
The NHS's emphasis on compassion, respect, and dignity also aligns with the GMC's focus on trust and professionalism, as both underscore the importance of treating patients with respect and preserving their dignity.
How to Answer Good Medical Practice Interview Questions
Good Medical Practice and the Duties of a Doctor
Interviewers often phrase questions around the 'duties of a doctor', which is the short summary the GMC places at the front of Good Medical Practice. The duties distil the four domains into plain principles: make the care of your patient your first concern, provide a good standard of practice and care, treat patients as individuals and respect their dignity, work in partnership with patients, and be honest and trustworthy. If you can quote even one or two of these in your own words, you will sound far more credible than a candidate who only lists domain titles.
A reliable structure for any Good Medical Practice question is: name the relevant principle or domain, explain why it matters for patient safety or trust, then ground it in a concrete example from your work experience, volunteering or reading. Avoid reciting the document. As the GMC itself makes clear, the standard is about applying professional judgement, not memorising rules, so an answer that shows you can reason through a real situation will always beat one that simply recites a list.
To excel in answering medical interview questions on the New Good Medical Practice, it is important to have a good understanding of the key updates to the document.
Remember that the interviewers are looking for your understanding of Good Medical Practice - this comes from you reading, processing, and being able to explain the main principles in your own words. The interviewers will only expect you and want you, to have memorised part of the document.
When answering interview questions, use specific examples to illustrate your points. This will help the interviewer to see that you have a good understanding of the New Good Medical Practice and how it applies to the real world.
It may also impress your interviewers to link the values of the GMC’s Good Medical Practice to the NHS 6 Core Values. We have discussed this above.
Good Medical Practice Medical Interview Questions and Model Answers
What Is Good Medical Practice?
Model Answer:
Good Medical Practice is a set of professional guidelines from the General Medical Council (GMC) that explains what makes a good doctor and how medical professionals should act. During my NHS work experience week at my local hospital, I saw how important these medical ethics and professional standards are in real clinical practice.
The framework has four main domains that cover different aspects of being a doctor in the UK healthcare system. These include keeping your medical knowledge and clinical skills up to date, patient-centred communication, workplace safety and culture, and maintaining professional trust.
I actually saw these medical standards in action when I shadowed a GP during my medical work experience - she took extra time with an elderly patient to explain their medication changes clearly, demonstrating effective patient communication and informed consent in practice.
The GMC guidelines were just updated in January 2024, which I think shows how modern medicine keeps evolving with new healthcare technology and changing patient needs. As shown in my hospital shadowing, understanding these principles of medical practice is really important for becoming a competent doctor, as they help ensure patient safety and quality of care.
As someone aspiring to study medicine at medical school, I can see how these professional guidelines and medical ethics will help me maintain high standards throughout my future career in the NHS
Explain why changes in good medical practice are important for the medical profession.
Model Answer:
These changes are necessary to align Good Medical Practice more closely with the demands and challenges of modern healthcare.
They promote a respectful, fair, and compassionate workplace, patient-centred care, and the tackling of discrimination.
Moreover, the inclusion of guidance for doctors who have experienced or witnessed workplace harassment, bullying, or discrimination provides crucial support in addressing these issues within the medical profession.
Reflect on a time when you were part of a team. What did you do to ensure effective teamwork, and how do you believe this will translate into your future role as a doctor?
Model Answer:
In my recent role as a project coordinator for a community health initiative looking at living organ donations, I was keenly aware of the importance of teamwork in achieving our objectives.
To ensure effective collaboration, I facilitated regular meetings that provided a platform for open communication, actively encouraged diverse opinions, and helped resolve conflicts. This experience honed my ability to lead while also fostering an inclusive environment.
Translating this to my future role as a doctor, I see clear parallels with the New Good Medical Practice's emphasis on 'Colleagues, Culture, and Safety.' Just as I promoted a culture of respect and teamwork in my project, I understand the importance of cultivating a safe and supportive working environment in healthcare settings.
This means not only contributing to a positive culture but also being vigilant about addressing any instances of harassment or bullying, as the New Good Medical Practice 2024 advises.
Furthermore, I recognise that continuous personal development, as outlined in the 'Knowledge, Skills, and Development' domain, is vital for effective teamwork.
My commitment to lifelong learning and staying abreast of the latest medical advancements will ensure that I can contribute valuable insights and skills to my team, ultimately improving patient outcomes and enhancing the collective competence of the healthcare team.
As a future medical professional, I am committed to applying these principles to foster a culture that mirrors the GMC's updated guidelines — one that is safe, inclusive, and dedicated to excellence in patient care.
Good Medical Practice Interview Questions:
What is good medical practice?
Questions less likely to come, but useful to know:
What was the update in 2024 to the GMC's Good Medical Practice?
What are the key changes in the domains of the New Good Medical Practice?
How does the New Good Medical Practice promote improved workplace cultures?
What is the importance of reflection as a doctor in the UK?
Why is teamwork important in medicine?
Why is communication important to maintain a good patient-doctor relationship?
Describe how a culture of safety within healthcare teams can contribute to overall patient well-being.
How do doctors stay up to date on changes to guidelines and domains such as safeguarding?
What do you think are the challenges to maintaining good medical practice in a high-pressure environment? Did you see anything in your work experience?
How would you incorporate the principles of good medical practice in leading a team or project within a healthcare setting?
Good Medical Practice is the General Medical Council's core code of professional conduct for UK doctors. It sets out the standards of practice, behaviour and ethics expected throughout a doctor's career and underpins licensing, revalidation and fitness-to-practise decisions. In short, it defines what a good doctor looks like, organised around four domains that doctors must apply using professional judgement.
What is the latest version of Good Medical Practice in 2026?
The current Good Medical Practice was published by the GMC in August 2023 and came into force for doctors on 30 January 2024. As of 2026, it remains the latest in-force version; no newer edition has replaced it. It also applies to physician associates and anaesthesia associates from 13 December 2024. There is no separate '2025' or '2026' edition, despite those search terms appearing online.
What are the four domains of Good Medical Practice?
The four domains are: Domain 1, Knowledge, skills and development; Domain 2, Patients, partnership and communication; Domain 3, Colleagues, culture and safety; and Domain 4, Trust and professionalism. The GMC stresses that all four are equally important in describing what makes a good doctor. Learning these four domains is the most valuable preparation you can do for an interview question on this topic.
What are the key changes in Good Medical Practice from 2013?
The main changes are: a first-ever zero-tolerance expectation on sexual misconduct; a duty to act on bullying, harassment and discrimination; a stronger focus on a fair and inclusive workplace culture; treating patients and colleagues with kindness, courtesy and respect; leadership and management responsibilities for all doctors, not just senior ones; clearer duties on continuity and coordination of care; and plainer, more concise wording organised into four domains.
How does Good Medical Practice address sexual misconduct and harassment?
For the first time, Good Medical Practice sets out an explicit zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment. Doctors must not act in a sexual way towards colleagues that causes offence, humiliation or distress. If a doctor witnesses sexual misconduct, bullying or discrimination, they should act on it, and for doctors in leadership or management roles this is a clear 'must'. This change responds to widely reported concerns about workplace culture in the NHS.
When did Good Medical Practice come into effect?
The current Good Medical Practice came into effect for doctors on 30 January 2024, having been published in August 2023. It later came into effect for physician associates and anaesthesia associates on 13 December 2024, when the GMC began regulating those roles. As of 2026 it is still in force and is the standard against which all UK doctors are held.
Why was Good Medical Practice updated?
The GMC updated it because the previous version dated from 2013 and needed to reflect a decade of change: digital health and social media, more complex and multidisciplinary care, workforce pressures, and rising public concern about workplace culture and discrimination. The aim was to modernise the standard, sharpen its focus on behaviour and leadership, and keep it relevant to how medicine is actually practised today.
What are the duties of a doctor under the GMC?
The GMC summarises the duties of a doctor at the front of Good Medical Practice. Key duties include making the care of your patient your first concern, providing a good standard of practice and care, keeping your knowledge and skills up to date, treating patients as individuals and respecting their dignity, working in partnership with patients, being honest and trustworthy, and acting without delay if you believe a patient is at risk.
What is the difference between Good Medical Practice and the 6 Core Values of the NHS?
Good Medical Practice is a GMC framework used to regulate doctors, so a serious breach can trigger investigation. The 6 Core Values of the NHS Constitution are a shared statement of principles for all NHS staff and cannot themselves be used to regulate doctors. They overlap on patient-centred care, compassion and respect, but Good Medical Practice is more specific and enforceable, while the NHS values are broader and aspirational.
Does Good Medical Practice apply to physician associates?
Yes. The GMC began regulating physician associates and anaesthesia associates in December 2024, and Good Medical Practice has applied to them since 13 December 2024. This is why the current version often refers to 'medical professionals' rather than only 'doctors'. The same core standard now covers doctors, PAs and AAs, which is a useful point to raise if you are asked about the role of physician associates.
How do I answer a Good Medical Practice question at interview?
Name the relevant domain or principle, explain why it matters for patient safety or trust, then give a concrete example from your work experience or reading. Avoid reciting the document; the GMC itself says the standard is about applying professional judgement. Linking your answer to the NHS Core Values, or to a current hot topic such as physician associates, shows the joined-up thinking interviewers reward.
What does the 'Colleagues, culture and safety' domain cover?
Domain 3 focuses on the working environment doctors create for one another. It covers contributing to a safe, supportive and inclusive culture, treating colleagues with respect, raising and acting on safety concerns, and challenging bullying, harassment and discrimination. It also sets leadership expectations: doctors in management roles must take action to deal with poor behaviour. This domain captures much of what changed from the 2013 version.
Do I need to memorise Good Medical Practice for my interview?
No. Interviewers want to see that you understand the standard, not that you have memorised it. Aim to recall the four domains, two or three of the key changes, and the general idea of the duties of a doctor, then explain them in your own words with a real example. Demonstrating reasoning and awareness beats reciting the document word for word.
Is there a Good Medical Practice 2025 or 2026 PDF?
There is no separate 2025 or 2026 edition. The current Good Medical Practice was published in August 2023 and has been in force since 30 January 2024; it is the version you should read in 2026. Searches for 'Good Medical Practice 2025' or '2026 PDF' point to this same standard. The full document and the GMC's supporting guidance are available free on the GMC website.
How does Good Medical Practice support patient-centred care?
Domain 2, Patients, partnership and communication, places patients at the centre of care. It strengthens duties on clear communication, supporting patients to make their own decisions, obtaining informed consent, and meeting people's language and communication needs. The current version also adds an explicit expectation to treat patients with kindness, courtesy and respect, listening to them and not making assumptions about what matters to them.
What is the duty of candour in Good Medical Practice?
The duty of candour is the professional requirement to be open and honest with patients when something goes wrong with their care. Good Medical Practice makes this explicit: doctors must tell the patient (or their family) when something has gone wrong, apologise, offer an appropriate remedy, and explain what happened. It sits within Domain 4, Trust and professionalism, and is a frequent interview topic because it tests honesty and integrity.
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