The British doctors' regulatory body will be stripped of a key power under government plans.
The General Medical Council (GMC) will lose the right to adjudicate in fitness to practice cases when complaints are made against doctors.
The GMC will still investigate concerns about doctors but the final decision on what happens to a doctor is likely to pass to an independent tribunal.
As part of the Government's white paper and response to the Shipman Inquiry - which was heavily critical of the
GMC - doctors will also face checks every five years to ensure they are competent to continue working.
New rules intended to tighten up the process surrounding death certification will also be introduced.
Death certificates will be subject to independent scrutiny by a medical examiner.
Other key points include greater public involvement with the GMC, which will have independently appointed members and the creation of a network of local GMC representatives.
The GMC will also be made more accountable to Parliament and doctors will undergo a process of re-certification where they will be tested on their standards in their own specialist fields.
The GMC will retain power over undergraduate education, although the structure of how it will be managed will change. The Government's plans also tightens up the rules surrounding controlled drugs.
The announcements follow months of negotiation on the future of regulations covering doctors.