Fees cut for new doctors

21 December 2010

NEWLY qualified doctors will save £255 on GMC fees, it’s been announced.

Provisionally registered doctors will pay £100 a year – down from £145 – and the cost of the first year of full registration has been halved to £210. The changes will take effect from April 1, 2011.

The change will benefit 14,000 doctors who will save a combined total of £1.8million. The fee cuts are part of a package of measures agreed by the GMC’s Council in recognition of “the challenging financial circumstances” many doctors are facing.

Any doctor whose total annual income is less than £26,000 will qualify for a 50 per cent discount in their annual retention fees after the GMC increased the earnings threshold from £22,190.

Doctors applying to the specialist register or GP register will also save money. The cost of a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) or a Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration or GP Registration (CESR or CEGPR) was reduced by £305 earlier this month. A CCT is now £500 while a CESR and CEGPR are £1,600.

The main annual retention fee is being frozen at £420 for 2011/2012. The GMC has said the price cuts are thanks to improvements in the efficiency of its operations, with savings of between three and five per cent made across the organisation.

Niall Dickson, the Chief Executive of the GMC, said: “These are difficult times for doctors, especially for those who have recently qualified and have large student debts. It is incumbent upon us to ensure we provide value for money and, as far as we can, control our costs.

“We are facing increased demand, particularly with the rise in fitness to practise cases, but this year we have managed to make savings and improve our efficiency. Looking forward, we will do whatever we can to keep fees to a minimum while continuing to help improve standards and protect patients.”