Apply knowledge and experience to practice
- You must recognise and work within the limits of your competence.
- You must have the necessary knowledge of the English language to provide a good standard of practice and care in the UK.
- You must provide a good standard of practice and care. If you assess, diagnose or treat patients, you must:
- adequately assess the patient’s conditions, taking account of their history (including the symptoms and psychological, spiritual, social and cultural factors), their views and values; where necessary, examine the patient
- promptly provide or arrange suitable advice, investigations or treatment where necessary
- refer a patient to another practitioner when this serves the patient’s needs.5.
- In providing clinical care you must:
- prescribe drugs or treatment, including repeat prescriptions, only when you have adequate knowledge of the patient’s health and are satisfied that the drugs or treatment serve the patient’s needs6.
- provide effective treatments based on the best available evidence
- take all possible steps to alleviate pain and distress whether or not a cure may be possible7.
- consult colleagues where appropriate
- respect the patient’s right to seek a second opinion
- check that the care or treatment you provide for each patient is compatible with any other treatments the patient is receiving, including (where possible) self-prescribed over-the-counter medications