Creating a Chronology in GMC Cases

How to Create A Chronology in GMC Cases

When preparing for a GMC or MPT hearing, in addition to providing a statement of events or mitigation, a chronology can be useful to simplify a complicated case. Chronologies can also be of assistance in MHPS investigations and various disciplinary hearing processes.

The Utility of Chronologies

A chronology enables the parties in a case to locate relevant information quickly. A chronology can set out the timeline of events in simple terms. A chronology can also assist legal representatives in their task, especially if they are instructed at short notice.

The following example might be adopted in some GMC, MPTS and MHPS cases.

Legend

The ‘ITEM‘ list is a specific number for orientation, for a representative to quickly take a tribunal to a particular item.

The ‘DATE‘ list is to indicate the date of the event. So, by way of example, it might be the date a doctor qualified.

The ‘DESCRIPTION‘ in this example would be ‘The date Dr Jones was granted provisional registration with the GMC, evidenced by a letter from the GMC dated 1/7/2001. See also page 54 (ITEM 12) for additional correspondence on the same point.’ 

Note: there may be events that have no page reference, but which would still be relevant evidentially, and which should be included in the chronology. For example, if there is an incident, exchange of words, potential witnesses, alibi or other important matter, it should be included within the chronology, and ‘None‘ should be inserted in the respective ‘Page No.’ column where there is no relevant page.

The ‘INFERENCE OR POINT OF NOTE‘ in this example might be: ‘this evidence shows that Dr Jones was able to start an F1 approved programme on 1/8/2001‘.

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Downloads

Download a draft chronology in Microsoft Word: Draft Chronology in Word. Download in Apple Pages: Draft Chonology in Pages.

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Doctors Defence Service advises and represents doctors, anaesthesia associates and physician associates in a number of forums. Doctors Defence Service can be contacted on 0800 10 88 739