Professional regulation
The research and recommendations it has developed for doctors' regulation are also relevant to other health professionals' regulation.
Objectives
Picker Institute Europe seeks:
- to ensure that the standards by which doctors work and are appraised include an emphasis on engaging and empowering patients
- to establish direct patient feedback as one of the tools to assess doctors' performance.
Evidence base
Picker Institute Europe ran a three year programme of research into medical regulation and used the findings to contribute to relevant reviews and consultations.
Medical appraisal and revalidation
In 2006 Picker Institute Europe submitted ideas to the Chief Medical Officer for England in response to two documents on Good doctors, safer patients and The regulation of the non-medical healthcare professions.
The CMO then invited the institute to be represented on a high level group whose work led to the 2007 government White Paper Trust, assurance and safety: the regulation of health professionals.
This White Paper proposed a new system of medical appraisal and revalidation, and the CMO invited Picker Institute Europe to join his new working group to help develop the system. The institute contributed a paper on the education of doctors, and argued successfully for the inclusion of patient feedback within the evidence used in appraisal. The working group reported in July 2008.
Good Medical Practice
The General Medical Council, which regulates all doctors in the UK, revised its standards and published them as a new version of Good Medical Practice in November 2006.
Picker Institute Europe contributed to the GMC's consultations and also carried out research for its standards committee to inform the revision. For example:
Setting standards 2006 examined the expectations of the public and doctors with regard to professional standards.
The institute argued successfully that doctors' standards should include working in partnership with patients through empowering them with information and communications and involving them in decisions.