GMC fees cut for trainee doctors

THE fees paid by trainee doctors to register with the General Medical Council in 2013 have been cut for the second year running.

The move is part of a package of cost cutting measures being introduced by the regulator to save doctors money.

From April 2013, newly qualified doctors will pay £185, down from £195 this year, while the provisional registration fee for foundation trainees will fall from £95 to £90. The Annual Retention Fee has been frozen at £390 for all registered and licensed doctors and at £140 for registered doctors without a licence to practise. More doctors will benefit from a 50 per cent reduction in annual retention fees as the salary threshold to qualify is being increased from £30,000 to £31,000.

The GMC has credited the reductions on improved efficiency of the GMC’s operations. It follows cuts in annual fees last year of £420 to £390 for annual retention and £210 to £195 for newly qualified doctors.

Chief executive Niall Dickson said: “We recognise that these are challenging times, especially for doctors at the start of their careers. We also have a responsibility to provide value for money and, as far as we can, to control our costs.

“Last year for the first time in the history of the GMC we cut the annual fee paid by all doctors, and this year we have been able to freeze the fee at that level and target further cuts for doctors who are new to practice.

"At the same time, we are facing significant increases in the demand for our services and we are delivering major initiatives such as revalidation and the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service. Inevitably future pressures are uncertain but we remain absolutely committed to being as efficient and as effective as possible.”