The advertising of doctors' services

The GMC encourages doctors to provide factual information about their professional qualifications and services. The term 'advertising' is used by the GMC to mean the provision of information about doctors and their services, in any form, to the public or other members of the profession. There is a general requirement that any advertising in this country must be 'legal, decent, honest and truthful', and that it should conform with the other requirements of the British Code of Advertising Practice. But the advertising of doctors' services must be subject to additional restriction in order to ensure that the public is not misled or put at risk in any way.

From: 'Advertising', Guidance from the General Medical Council, October 1995

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Delegation and referral

42. Doctors practicing in most specialties should usually accept patients only with a referral from a general practitioner or other appropriate health care professional. However, in some areas of practice, for example, accident and emergency, genito-urinary medicine, contraception and abortion services and refraction, there may be good reasons for specialists to accept patients without a referral. Similarly, occupational health physicians, police surgeons and other doctors with dual responsibilities may accept patients for assessment or screening without a referral.

43. If you accept a patient without a referral from the patient's general practitioner, you must keep the general practitioner informed, provided you have the patient's consent. If sensitive information is involved, you should encourage patients to allow information to be passed to their general practitioners, but you must not disclose information to a general practitioner unless the patient agrees. Except in emergencies or when it is impracticable, you should inform the general practitioner before starting treatment. If you do not tell the patient's general practitioner, before or after providing treatment, you will he responsible for providing or arranging all after care which is necessary until another doctor agrees to take over.

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Providing information about your services

44. If you publish or broadcast information about services you provide, the information must be factual and verifiable. It must be published in a way that conforms with the law and with the guidance issued by the Advertising Standards Authority. If you publish information about specialist services, you must still follow the guidance in paragraphs 42 and 43 above.

45. The information you publish must not make claims about the quality of your services nor compare your services with those your colleagues provide. It must not, in any way, offer guarantees of cures, nor exploit patients' vulnerability or lack of medical knowledge.

46. Information published about specialist services should include advice that patients cannot usually be seen or treated by specialists, either in the NHS or private practice, without a referral, usually from a general practitioner. If you are a specialist you should do all that you can to see that a similar statement is included in any advertisement for specialist services issued by an organisation which you are associated with.

47. Information you publish about your services must not put pressure on people to use a service, for example by arousing ill-founded fear for their future health. Similarly, you must not advertise your services by visiting or telephoning prospective patients, either in person or through a deputy.

From: 'Good Medical Practice' General Medical Council, July 1998