MPTS Representation

MPTS Legal Representation for Doctors

All General Medical Council (GMC) cases will (from 11 June 2012) be adjudicated upon by the independent tribunal known as the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS). GMC cases will continue to be prosecuted by the GMC, which will investigate allegations of misconduct, deficient performance, and ill-health affecting performance.

Doctors Defence Service provides MPTS Representation for doctors across the UK, including doctors based in London. Our experienced lawyers and barristers advise and represent doctors facing proceedings before the MPTS. The GMC will also continue to set standards for doctors in practice. Anaesthetic Assistants and Physician Assistants will also be regulated by the GMC and MPTS.

The MPTS is a tribunal service set up by statute. Initially, the MPTS will operate very much as the GMC Fitness to Practise (FTP) panels have operated in the past. Later, the MPTS will move from being a panel assisted by a legal assessor, to a panel led by a legally qualified chair who participates in the adjudication process.

In summary, the regulation by the GMC of doctors will continue as before, but adjudications will be conducted by the MPTS. See our GMC / MPTS Representation page for more details of the legal services that we provide to doctors.

Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service Representation

Doctors Defence Service has represented doctors for many years before the GMC FTP panels, and will continue to do so before the MPTS panels. If you are a doctor, AA or PA who has a case to be heard before the MPTS, contact us to discuss how we might be able to assist you, or to arrange MPTS Representation.

Our Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service Representation is available to doctors throughout the UK, with assistance also available through our London office. Many consultations can be conducted by videoconference, allowing doctors to obtain advice wherever they practise.

Doctors Defence Service medico-legal advisers are qualified barristers in independent practice. Some of our lawyers are also clinically qualified, which can be particularly helpful where an MPTS case involves allegations concerning clinical practice.

MPTS Fitness to Practise Hearings

An MPTS Fitness to Practise Hearing can consider allegations concerning a doctor’s conduct, performance or health. Doctors facing a hearing may benefit from obtaining legal advice at an early stage so that they understand the proceedings and can prepare their case.

An experienced MPTS Hearing Barrister can advise on the issues before the tribunal and represent the doctor at the hearing. Doctors Defence Service provides MPTS Legal Advice for Doctors as well as advocacy where a case proceeds before the tribunal.

Our lawyers have represented many hundreds of doctors of all grades in GMC and MPTS cases. Doctors seeking representation in London or elsewhere in the UK can discuss their circumstances with DDS in confidence.

MPTS Panel Representation

Doctors Defence Service provides MPTS Panel Representation for doctors who require a barrister to present their case before the tribunal. Representation can be provided to doctors at all grades and in general and specialist areas of medicine.

A doctor looking for an MPTS Representation Barrister can speak to DDS about the stage their case has reached and the legal assistance they require. Our barristers can provide advice in preparation for proceedings as well as representation before an MPTS panel.

Doctors looking for a trusted lawyer should consider the qualifications, regulatory status and relevant MPTS experience of the individual they intend to instruct. DDS advisers undergo regular training in their areas of practice and carry mandatory indemnity insurance for their legal work.

Rather than relying on a broad description such as certified, doctors can consider the qualifications and relevant experience of the particular barrister who may be instructed. Our lawyers can provide expert legal advice within their areas of practice where a doctor faces GMC or MPTS proceedings. DDS is not a firm of solicitors, although its barristers may work with external solicitors on some cases.

MPTS Representation for Doctors Across the UK

Doctors Defence Service provides MPTS Representation to doctors across the UK, including medical practitioners based in London. Our lawyers understand the relationship between GMC investigations and subsequent proceedings before the MPTS, allowing doctors to obtain advice that takes account of the wider regulatory process.

Whether a doctor requires MPTS Legal Advice for Doctors before a hearing or an MPTS Hearing Barrister to provide representation at the tribunal, the appropriate assistance will depend on the circumstances and the stage the proceedings have reached.

Doctors in London and throughout the UK can contact DDS to discuss MPTS proceedings in confidence and without obligation.
Our website documentation has been updated to incorporate the MPTS’s remit. See also our MPTS Law web page for more details about the MPTS policies and procedures.

For more information about the services we provide at the MPTS (MPT, IOT, Registration), use the relevant links on this page.
Call us without obligation on: 0800 10 88 739

See also the new MPTS website at: www.mpts-uk.org