GMC Defence Barristers

High Court ruling warns that attending fitness to practise hearings without specialist legal support can lead to unfair outcomes.

Our 2025 fitness to practise review highlights key FtP issues, major regulatory trends and the strong outcomes we achieved for clients this year.

Sexual misconduct is hard to remediate, but insight and structured remediation can still influence sanctions.

The GMC’s new consultation reinforces doctors’ duty to raise patient safety concerns, with fitness to practise risks for failures and a need for early expert legal advice.

How fitness to practise panels can assess genuine insight when a registrant denies allegations and offers no apology, balancing fairness with public protection.

The MPTS has published revised tribunal guidance that will come into effect on 24 November 2025.

Fitness to practise investigations help uphold UK care standards, but prolonged cases can cause serious personal and professional harm to healthcare professionals.

Accepted outcomes create a paper-based route for resolving fitness to practise cases; examiners may impose measures if offers go unanswered.

Interim orders are a crucial regulatory tool used early in fitness to practise investigations but with potentially significant impacts on healthcare professionals’ practice, careers, and personal well-being.

We look at the importance of remediation in fitness to practise, what remediation means and how it can impact on the outcome of an investigation or hearing.

The position on the GMC’s duty of care is now unquestionably clear. We look at the value of legal representation to assist doctors with the stress and anxiety associated with investigations.

In Suresh & Ors v GMC, the Court examined the GMC’s duty of care and Human Rights Act obligations for doctors under investigation.

Tribunals assess witnesses’ credibility and reliability in resolving disputes or when evidence has a significant impact on outcomes.

Is the GMC’s stance justified and what should doctors know when they consider taking part in climate protests.

Are they simply a cost effective way of helping to provide a service where there are issues in recruitment of doctors or are they part and parcel of essential reforms in an under pressure, underfunded NHS?

Research underlines the importance of insight, remediation, and legal representation when determining whether a doctor can return to practise.

When you are contacted by your regulator to inform you that an allegation has been made against you – how should you respond?

Insight and remediation play crucial roles in addressing allegations of sexual misconduct in the medical profession.

The court again highlighted that dishonesty undermines trust in the medical profession, which is crucial for patient safety and public confidence.

This type of behaviour is seen as particularly serious by regulators and, more often than not, result in the most severe sanctions.

We look at GMC health assessments, what doctors can expect from these assessments, and the value of legal representation.