About DDS

Doctors Defence Service (DDS) is a defence service for medical doctors who wish to register in the UK, or who are facing General Medical Council (GMC) fitness to practise proceedings, and cases being heard by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS).

DDS also provides representation at inquests, and advises doctors on employment law, NHS contracts, private practice law, commercial and trusts law, and all other areas of law affecting registered medical practitioners. Doctors Defence Service is an independent service for doctors, not in any way affiliated to the GMC.

Doctors Defence Service’s headquarters are based in Manchester (and are situated close to the GMC, on Oxford Street), (as the GMC / MPTS holds hearings in Manchester. We also have a main office in London. A number of our medico-legal advisors deal with other matters of law concerning doctors and their commercial practices, across the UK.

Doctors Defence Service is made up of a team of specialist barristers and special advisors who have represented many doctors and other healthcare practitioners in fitness to practise proceedings, employment, civil and criminal law matters over the past decade.

Doctors Defence Service is managed and overseen by Lee Gledhill, who has over twenty six year’s experience practising as a barrister in GMC / MPTS fitness to practise law, regulatory law, medico-legal civil law and criminal law. He is also clinically qualified. He is supported by a team of highly trained medico-legal advisors: Penny Maudsley, David Welch, Stephen Page, Sheila Aly) who are each barristers. They have between them represented hundreds of doctors and other healthcare professionals before the healthcare regulators, and other courts and tribunals. They often advise doctors on employment law, GP partnership law, contract law and other legal aspects of clinical practice and healthcare businesses. All of the medico-legal advisors at Doctors Defence Service have in place professional indemnity insurance for all legal work undertaken. They also work to high regulatory standards.

Doctors Defence Service (DDS) covers many areas of law and has specialist expertise in the areas of law set out below. The lawyers at DDS have particular expertise in defending doctors in fitness to practise hearings at the General Medical Council (GMC), now heard by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS).

DDS lawyers also have expertise in GMC / MPTS registration applications and appeals, doctors’ commercial operations and contracts, employment law concerning practices and doctors contracts of services in private and NHS practice. DDS lawyers also represent doctors at coroners’ inquests that examine the deaths of patients and explore whether a doctor or a GP practice has caused or contributed to death, and in criminal law cases. DDS also deal with general civil law, including trusts law and CQC law for doctors who wish to put a business into a trust. DDS also provides within this website a digest of legal cases relevant to doctors.

Doctors Defence Service is an independent service not in any way affiliated to the GMC. Our staff undergo rigorous training and selection before they can represent doctors in the various fields that DDS covers.

Our lawyers have represented many hundreds of specialist doctors in a variety of legal forums. They also give legal advice and assistance to doctors who might have a unique legal problem that requires legal research and analysis in order for a potential remedy to be identified. DDS staff are trained in undertaking bespoke legal research, which on occasions may include an international element. Our lawyers can also refer doctors who have more than one legal issue or a complex legal problem to other lawyers in the organisation, so that specialist advice can be given. On occasions opinions might also be sought from external lawyers.

For information about our fees, see our Fees for our Legal Services page.

To discuss a legal matter in confidence and without obligation, contact us via our Contact Form or call Doctors Defence Service on 0800 10 88 739

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Testimonials about our DDS Lawyers

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