Given that London is the capital and largest city in the UK, the availability of employment opportunities is naturally going to be unlimited. In addition, the country also happens to be home to a number of universities, including some of the world’s top-ranked universities. As a result, employment opportunities are always on the rise.

However, looking to make it in London as a doctor can be quite different from an average 9-5 corporate job. Similar to other parts of the world, professionals such as doctors and lawyers have country or region-specific laws and regulations in place that need to be abided by.

This blog aims to help local and foreign medical graduates of London including internationally qualified doctors as well, to understand in further detail the requirements and process that goes into practising medicine in London.

The General Medical Council, better known as the GMC, is a council that operates in the UK to protect patients and improve medical education and practice in the UK for students and doctors by setting necessary standards. The council also works towards helping individuals achieve the set standards all the while, ensuring that they are met and taking action in the instance that they aren’t.

Requirements to practice medicine in London

First off, in order to practice medicine in London, an individual must hold a valid registration with a license issued by the General Medical Council (GMC). This enables the General Practitioner (GP) to carry out responsibilities such as treating patients and prescribing necessary medication. However, holding a license is simply not enough. The General Practitioner (GP) must also constantly go in for a revalidation. To simply understand, revalidation is the act of proving your knowledge and skills are up to date through regular practice checks conducted by the General Medical Council.

Doctors who do not wish to practice medicine, or who practice overseas have the option of holding registration without a license.

However, according to the General Medical Council (GMC) a General practitioner (GP) should be directly clear about whether they either hold a license, hold registration only or neither. If a doctor gives the impression that he/she holds a license or registration, when in fact they don’t, this is considered to be a criminal offence in the UK.

Regardless of whether a General practitioner (GP) is currently practicing or not, if he/she is to stay on the register and follow the standards of “Good medical practice”, your contact details will need to be kept up to date whilst also paying an annual fee.

The guide to paying your fee along with the fee rates for the type of registration and or license you wish to have, can be found in the below link.

https://www.gmc-uk.org/registration-and-licensing/managing-your-registration/fees-and-funding

Certain criteria need to be met in order to apply to join the medical register in the UK.

1.        Check for eligibility

2.        Complete an application

3.        Pay a fee

4.        Provide requested evidence

5.        Complete an identity check

It is important to note that the exact requirements and required details will vary from the type of registration application you wish to apply for. The main types of registrations for different posts are as follows.

·        Provisional registration

·        Full registration

·        Specialist registration

·        GP (General Practitioner) registration

Further information to each type of registration can be found on the General Medical Council website.

Eligibility to apply

Depending on one’s circumstances, the evidence required to submit will vary.

Certain criteria are general for all circumstances.

·        English language skills – The council has to be satisfied with the level of English you can speak, read, write, and listen in order to proceed with your application. This is a vital part of the process in order to prevent the patient’s safety being put at risk.

·        Evidence of your fitness to practice

·        Primary source verification for applicants with non-UK medical qualifications

For European and overseas graduates, in addition to the above evidence, additional support information should be submitted.

·        An acceptable overseas primary medical qualification

·        Primary source verification

·        Knowledge and skills which can be proved by:

o   Passing the Professional and linguistic assessment board (PLAB) test

o   An acceptable post graduate qualification

o   Sponsorship

o   Holding a relevant European qualification

o   Eligible for entry onto the specialist register or the General Practitioner (GP) Register

The future for Doctors in London

Through multiple ways, doctors applying to work in the UK are screened depending on where a doctor received his/her medical degree. Currently, the General Medical Council is working towards a general assessment for all doctors regardless of where the degree was obtained. This is to be set into motion from the year 2024.

The Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA) will be implemented in order to be taken by UK medical students and graduates outside the European Economic Area (EEA). Currently it is against the law to assess graduates inside the EEA.

Since the Medical Licensing Assessment is still in the works of being implemented, currently UK medical students will have to apply with their degree and medical graduates trained outside the EEA will have to apply through one or any of the following.

·        Professional and linguistic assessment board (PLAB) tests

·        Sponsorships

·        Approved post graduate qualifications

·        Specialist registration

Doctors that are to apply from outside will require an appropriate visa. This could either be a Tier 2 visa or a tier 5 visa.

Insider tips for Doctors in London

·        There will be constant relocation. While this might feel and sound hectic, some would say it is one of the perks of being a doctor/General Practitioner (GP) in the UK. Through out your career, you would have the chance to see most of London and meet people, patients, and colleagues from all works of life.

·        Just like the rest of the world, the field of medicine is not for the faint heart. Always be prepared to experience the worst.

·        While there is an excessive opportunity to grow in the field of medicine, being a General Practitioner (GP) in the UK comes with a lot of competition. It is important to constantly learn and better your skills in order to come out on top.

If you’re looking for a career as a doctor in London, keep a look out on recruitment websites such as Medfuture UK and the National Health Service (NHS) website. You can search for suitable jobs and apply once you are a registered practitioner.

London is an extremely busy city, and one may get carried away with the hustle and bustle of it all. A career as a general practitioner (GP)/doctor or so forth in the field of medicine in London might turn out to be more tiresome and challenging than one might expect or have experienced elsewhere in the world. It is important to pay attention to detail and understand that the lives of people are in your hands. While there are quite a few cons of living in London, especially as a doctor, the pros definitely outweigh them all.