Your Legal Questions Answered by DDS’s Lawyers

Q and A: Doctors Defence Service seeks to answer your legal questions and queries on this page.* Post a question via our Contact Form page. Your post will be anonymised.

Costs and the GMC FTP Stage

Dr L wrote:

Does the GMC seek to recover the costs of a Fitness to Practise hearing from a doctor?

DDS Reply: The GMC does not seek generally seek to recover costs of the case in fitness to practise proceedings. However, new provisions enable the GMC to apply for costs where a doctor has acted unreasonably. The position is different on appeal from fitness to practise determinations, where costs risks apply from the outset.

(February 2016)

Doctors and Police Cautions

Dr S asked:

Do I need to refer a police caution to the GMC?

DDS Reply: The code of conduct, Good Medical Practice, requires that all police cautions or similar are self-reported to the GMC by the doctor who receives one. For more information on police cautions and criminal convictions and the way the GMC deals with such matters, see our article: Police Cautions and Convictions

(February 2020)

[*This question and answer service is not a substitute for legal advice and is for general information purposes only. Doctors Defence reserves the right not to answer or publish posted questions, and to discontinue this service without notice. See our terms of use before posting a question. The answers given may not be suitable or relevant to your own situation. Independent legal advice should be sought. You agree to the terms of this website by posting a question or using this website. Spam comments are deleted immediately by our spam filters and will not be published.]

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Doctors Defence Service (DDS) assists medical doctors who are registered with the General Medical Council (GMC) in the United Kingdom (UK) and also those doctors from abroad who wish to register and practise as doctors in the UK. Doctors Defence Service also assists doctors in relation to all other legal issues arising from daily practice and operating businesses in the clinical arena. DDS represents doctors in FTP and IOP GMC proceedings, at inquests, in general civil cases, in commercial and contract law, in revalidation matters, and employment law. Doctors Defence Service can be contacted on 0800 10 88 739. We have main offices in London, Manchester, and Telford. We cover most other UK regions too.

1 Comments to “Your Legal Questions Answered by DDS’s Lawyers”

  1. A doctor says:
    February 21, 2011 at 9:04 am

    I have been suspended by an interim orders tribunal (IOT) panel. Can I appeal? I wish to return to clinical work as soon as possible.

    Doctors Defence Service Replies: You could appeal but you might be better of applying to the GMC for an early review of the Order. If the IOT panel came to a decision that was wrong or disproportionate then you might choose to appeal. However, if the panel did not see all of the evidence that might have persuaded them to come to a different decision or there is new evidence, a review may be more appropriate. Read more on GMC/MPTS IOT Hearings.

    If you seek legal advice on the prospects of success of an appeal against a decision of a panel of the General Medical Council (GMC) or Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) then call Doctors Defence Service on 0800 10 88 739 without obligation.