Centre for Workforce Supply (CWS) Resource Hub

Welcoming IMGs to NHS Scotland Guide

Before beginning your first role within NHS Scotland, take a look at the Welcoming IMGs to NHS Scotland Guide for valuable insights and information. It also outlines the ongoing support available to you throughout your career.

Scotland Deanery IMG Resources

Get ready for life in Scotland and explore the education, training, and support available to IMG doctors who choose to pursue their medical careers here.

The General Medical Council (GMC) provides a comprehensive selection of resources to support you at every stage of your medical career. Many of these are highlighted in the Welcoming IMGs to NHS Scotland guide, with additional useful materials signposted below to help you find what you need with ease.

The GMC Professional Standards are organised into 11 categories, providing a comprehensive framework for ethical decision-making across a wide range of scenarios. These standards apply to doctors, physician associates, and anaesthesia associates, supporting professionalism in clinical practice.

Good Medical Practice from the GMC is a framework of professional standards to support you in delivering patient care and collaborating effectively with colleagues. You can explore and test your understanding of this guidance through 60 interactive scenarios available on the Good Medical Practice in Action website.

The Ethical Hub: Racism in the Workplace resource reflects the GMC’s commitment to a zero-tolerance approach to racism. It offers practical guidance on applying the GMC’s principles of non-discrimination when tackling racism in the workplace. The approach is further reinforced by the Scottish Government, with public support from Neil Gray, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, who has pledged to embed anti-racism across the public sector.

The GMC plays a vital role in investigating concerns where a doctor’s ability to practise safely, or public confidence in doctors, may be at risk. Their website provides detailed information on how these investigations are carried out, along with guidance and support available for doctors undergoing the process.

Fitness to practise of doctors explained

During a doctor’s career, concerns may arise about their performance, behaviour, or health—any of which could affect their ability to practise safely. These concerns might be raised by the doctor themselves, their employer, or the General Medical Council (GMC).

The GMC provides clear guidance on how concerns are assessed, the principles it follows, and the support available to doctors throughout the process.

Outreach: Working Together to Improve Education and Practice

The GMC outreach team engages with healthcare professionals across the UK to promote understanding of our guidance and regulatory processes. By collaborating with local services, they help identify challenges and share insights that shape how we support the profession.

This close partnership ensures our approach to regulation remains informed, responsive, and aligned with the evolving needs of the UK’s health services.

If you’re practising in remote or rural settings and delivering unscheduled or urgent care, the GMC-approved Credential—developed by NHS Education for Scotland in collaboration across the UK—offers a structured curriculum and educational framework to support consistent learning. This credential enhances doctors’ skills in leading, delivering, and coordinating unscheduled and urgent care, and ensures a consistent approach to training 'extended generalists'.

Medico-legal awareness

Many of the medico-risks you'll face as an IMG are the same your UK-qualified colleagues, but some others might arise from being unfamiliar with the system or cultural differences. Understand common risks and challenges, including those unique to IMGs due to unfamiliarity with UK systems or cultural differences.

Patient communication

Learn strategies for managing difficult interactions, building trust, and avoiding misunderstandings.

Handling complaints

Guidance on responding professionally and effectively.

Confidentiality and consent 

Explore UK standards, including patient-centred approaches to decision-making.

Reflective practice and revalidation

Develop habits that support professional growth and meet regulatory requirements.

Breaking bad news 

Techniques for delivering sensitive information with empathy.

Record keeping and chaperone use

Understand best practices to ensure compliance and patient safety.

Communication pitfalls

Recognise how omissions or perceived rudeness can lead to complaints or investigations—and how to avoid them.

Supporting IMGs – insights and strategies

An online webinar drawing on MDDUS advisory insights, commissioned research, and CPD experience to support senior clinicians in becoming inclusive leaders. It highlights the unique challenges faced by IMGs, explores causes and impacts, and offers practical steps for clinical leaders to foster safe, inclusive environments. 🔗 Register here.

Safeguarding: recognising and managing the risks

This webinar equips doctors with the essential knowledge and confidence to manage safeguarding responsibilities for both adults and children, covering legal obligations, referral processes, documentation, and handling complaints or historical allegations. 🔗 Register here.

Navigating the GMC: a case-based webinar for doctors

An online webinar using a case study to walk through the full lifecycle of a dishonesty case, from initial GMC notification to an MPTS hearing, offering insights into the regulatory process. Led by MDDUS legal experts, it highlights the support available. 🔗 Register here.

Social media for doctors

This webinar explores the risks and benefits of social media use for doctors, with a focus on the latest GMC guidance and common pitfalls identified through MDDUS case analysis. It offers practical advice on managing your online presence. 🔗 Register here.

Medical Protection Society (MPS)
Explore dedicated resources to support international medical graduates on the MPS website:
👉 Support for International Medical Graduates