20. Providing references
 

When providing references for colleagues your comments must be honest and justifiable; you must include all relevant information which has a bearing on the colleague’s competence, performance, reliability and conduct.

GMC Good Medical Practice, paragraph 11

 

The excellent GP
- takes care with references, bearing in mind his or her responsibility to future partners or employers and, most importantly, to a doctor's future patients
- is honest and objective in comments made in references, and does not miss out important information

The unacceptable GP
- gives dishonest, untrue, or biased references
- omits important information from references
- includes comments in references (favourable or unfavourable) which are based largely on personal prejudice