Dear All Those of you who are doctors will have read this reckless feature in the BMJ suggesting doctors self refer to the General Medical Council. http://www.bmj.com/content/360/bmj.k481 . This advice is misguided and done by those who do not understand the case law governing the GMC's work. No doctor should self refer for the following reasons 1. The GMC the power and ability to take up anything they wish if in their view goes to the integrity of the doctor. The standard is as low as a link on the internet or a typo. The Medical Act and case law outlines that the GMC uses a very low civil standard, it needs no discretion to investigate before uptake onto Stream 1 of the complaints procedure. 2. Once trapped in Stream 1, the procedure cannot be challenged in court until the final sanction. 3. At Stream 1, your complaint is disclosed to your employer(s) by the GMC. 4. Once investigated, you will need to disclose an open or closed or cleared investigation in all your employment forms. Non disclosure is a GMC offence that the GMC has prosecuted doctors for. The above trigger points can and will destroy and affect a person's employability. Unfortunately. there are a few consultants who have never read GMC case law, are outdated in their knowledge and are acting emotively as opposed to dispassionately. Please note that doctors behaving in this way to the GMC put themselves at risk of being investigated for mental health issues. Please also remember that the GMC monitors social networking and have the power to take up concerns on their own and without a complaint. None of you need to believe me on these points, you simply need to study the case law, the GMC investigation manual and the Medical Act. Please will all junior doctors conduct themselves carefully and think before following some reckless and poorly informed seniors. Regards Dr Rita Pal