In what will be seen as a further step towards making medical regulation more focused on patient safety the former BBC social affairs editor Niall Dickson has been appointed as the new chief executive of the GMC. He will take up his post in January next year.
Dickson joins the GMC from health think-tank The King’s Fund, where he has been chief executive since 2004. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of General Practitioners
Under Dickson’s leadership the King’s Fund has been a strong voice in raising the debate around improving the care of patients with long-term conditions. He also commissioned a review of social care funding, which led directly to a government’s Green Paper on the future funding of social care in England.
He recently chaired one of the Department of Health working groups taking forward recommendations in the White Paper Trust, Assurance and Safety, which looked at measures to improve clinical quality and safety in the wake of scandals such as Shipman.
Dickson chaired the group asked to examine aspects of the White Paper concerned with enhancing public confidence in the regulators of healthcare professionals.
He was also a member of the Cabinet Office Honours Committee (Health), the NHS National Stakeholder Form and the ministerial sounding board on social care.
GMC Chair, Professor Peter Rubin, welcomed the appointment, saying: "The GMC is leading a major programme of regulatory change for doctors – including the introduction of revalidation. This is a challenging time and Niall Dickson is ideal for the job. He brings a wide understanding of the complex issues involved in delivering top quality healthcare in the UK.
"As a former broadcaster, he also has a strong record in communications, which will be vital in helping us to engage with doctors, patients and the public about the changes which are coming.
"I am confident that Niall can build on the many achievements of Finlay Scott, who has been Chief Executive of the GMC for 15 years."
Among Dickson’s other interests he is trustee of the Consumers Association (Which?) and of the Leeds Castle Foundation as well as a patron of the charity ERIC (Education and Resources for Improving Childhood Continence).
He was educated in Scotland and went to Edinburgh University. Early working experiences included teaching in a comprehensive school, work for Age Concern England and a number of years editing the Nursing Times. He joined the BBC as its health correspondent 1988 and went on to become its Social Affairs Editor in 1995.