Fitness to practise
One of our most important roles is to ensure doctors and physician associates are fit to practise medicine. A doctor or physician associate's fitness to practise is determined by their professional conduct, their competence (application of knowledge and skill), and their physical and mental health.
We have a set of standards for each profession which outline what we expect of doctors and physician associates in all these areas, and we also have procedures to follow if there are concerns about a doctor or physician associate's conduct, competence or health.
Our principal function is to protect the public, and we will assess and respond to any information that indicates a doctor or physician associate's fitness to practise is compromised.
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If you have concerns about a registered doctor or a physician associate, you can refer the matter to the Council.
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Doctors and physician associates get sick too, and when they do it's important that their illness doesn't interfere with their ability to practise safely. A doctor or physician associate must always be able to practise without putting patients or the public at risk.
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We sometimes require that a doctor has a chaperone present to observe their consultations with patients. We do this to mitigate risk to the patient where there are concerns that the doctor poses a risk of harm or serious risk of harm to the public. This is different from when a chaperone is present as a matter of good medical practice.