Episode 15 - Should functional medicine practitioners keep GMC registration? with Andrea James, Keystone Law
Confidence To Thrive - a podcast for ambitious healthcare practitioners and entrepreneurs
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<p>Functional medicine and GMC registration: legal and regulatory risks for doctors</p>
<p>In this episode of Confidence to Thrive, Owlicity director Christopher Cloke Browne speaks with Andrea James, a Keystone Law partner specialising in professional discipline and healthcare regulatory law, about whether functional medicine practitioners should keep GMC registration. <br><br>Andrea explains that “medical practice” is not defined in the Medical Act and the GMC will not give role-specific advice, but warns that giving up registration can be high risk for doctors who still rely on their medical background in clinic work or marketing. </p>
<p>She highlights reserved activities (such as prescribing, Mental Health Act assessments and signing death certificates) and the broad criminal offence of implying you are registered when you are not, meaning the GMC could pursue criminal prosecution rather than fitness to practise proceedings. </p>
<p>They discuss that most complaints they see originate from other doctors and are often defensible when patients are given clear, upfront information, and Andrea flags separate, more prescriptive CQC registration risks under regulated activities.</p>
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<p><b>Episode time stamps:</b></p>
<p>00:53 Meet Andrea James</p>
<p>02:28 Do you need GMC registration</p>
<p>04:34 Criminal risk explained</p>
<p>07:44 Why complaints happen</p>
<p>09:35 Defending functional medicine</p>
<p>12:34 Working with mainstream care</p>
<p>14:51 What counts as medicine?</p>
<p>17:22 CQC registration basics</p>
<p>19:37 Practical legal advice</p>
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<p><b>Connect with Andrea James and Keystone Law</b></p>
<p><a href="https://keystonelaw.com/lawyers/andrea-james" rel="nofollow">https://keystonelaw.com/lawyers/andrea-james</a></p>
<p><a href="https://keystonelaw.com/" rel="nofollow">https://keystonelaw.com/</a></p>
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