The General Medical Council (GMC) is a public body that maintains the official register of medical practitioners within the United Kingdom. Its chief responsibility is ‘to protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the public’ by controlling entry to the register, and suspending or removing members when necessary. It also sets the standards for medical schools in the UK. It is a criminal offence to make a false claim of membership. The GMC is supported by fees paid by its members, and it became a registered charity in 2001.