Professional standards
The concept of 'partnership' is formally encoded as an overriding principle in the General Medical Council's current (2006) guidance and standards for doctors Good Medical Practice.
Good Medical Practice
Picker Institute Europe submitted 
a response to the GMC's initial 2004 review of Good Medical Practice, and worked with the GMC to revise and refine its principles and standards for doctors. As part of this work, the GMC commissioned us to undertake research into patient, public and professional views regarding:
- the key duties of a doctor for inclusion in Good Medical Practice
- the balance between the roles of patients, doctors and other health professionals
- the balance between clinical and organisational duties
- whether or not it is reasonable to expect doctors to adhere to all duties all the time.
Picker Institute Europe's report Setting Standards describes the findings. The patient partnership principles and standards in Good Medical Practice 2006 are derived from the Setting Standards research and from the Picker Institute's Patient-centred professionalism research programme. This included a review of the development, content and purpose of professional codes and standards for doctors in the UK, USA and Canada.
The doctor-patient partnership
The doctor-patient partnership standards of Good Medical Practice 2006 state that:
"Relationships based on openness, trust and good communication will enable you to work in partnership with your patients to address their individual needs.
To fulfil your role in the doctor-patient partnership you must:
1. be polite, considerate and honest
2. treat patients with dignity
3. treat each patient as an individual
4. respect patients' privacy and right to confidentiality
5. support patients in caring for themselves to improve and maintain their health
6. encourage patients who have knowledge about their condition to use this when they are making decisions about their care."
Nursing and Midwifery standards
Similarly, the Nursing and Midwifery Council's current (2008) standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives require nurses and midwives to 'collaborate with those in your care' which means:
- "you must listen to the people in your care and respond to their concerns and preferences
- you must support people in caring for themselves to improve and maintain their health
- you must recognise and respect the contribution that people make to their own care and wellbeing
- you must make arrangements to meet people's language and communication needs
- you must share with people, in a way they can understand, the information they want or need to know about their health."
Other professional regulators are expected to follow these principles and standards in developing their own codes of practice and conduct.
