ABSTRACT
The duty of care is the professional obligation that a GP has to a patient and is enshrined in common law. Such a duty exists from the point at which a patient is accepted explicitly or implicitly.
It is usually clear-cut although there are circumstances where the GP may find that his or her primary duty is to someone other than the patient. For example, a GP may be asked to write a report on a patient's condition for an insurance company or an employer. In such a circum stance the GP-patient relationship does not exist in conventional terms but the GP does still have a duty to comply with professional requirements and to avoid causing harm.
