In response to the Department of Health's consultation paper: Fitness to practise adjudication for health professionals, the Medical Protection Society (MPS) has stressed that significant changes to current GMC processes are needed to achieve efficiency and fairness.

Director of Policy and Communications, Dr Stephanie Bown, said: "MPS acknowledges the Government's preferred option to modernise and improve the GMC's current processes, however we strongly believe that more needs to be done. MPS is concerned that the current proposals do not go far enough in achieving an adjudication system for health professionals that is fair, independent and fit for purpose. Without greater reform to the current fitness to practise system, public and professional confidence could be undermined.

"An overriding objective of the Office of the Health Professionals Adjudicator model was to deal with cases in ways that were proportionate to their importance. We would like to see the GMC take this objective forward and provide a more proportionate approach to investigation and sanctioning."

Dr Bown adds: "We would also like the GMC to explore aligning the regulation of health professionals with modern legal and judicial practices. MPS believes that aspects of other judicial models could be adopted to bring about greater efficiencies and fairness."

Some of the other key changes that MPS believes are critical include:

- More action to streamline hearings and enhance case management and pre-hearing arrangements
- An appeal process to an independent adjudicator
- The appointment of legally qualified Chairs
- Location of the GMC and the Doctors' Disciplinary Tribunal in separate premises.

Dr Bown noted: "We recognise the importance of gaining costs efficiencies from the fitness to practise system, but this cannot be at the expense of fairness to doctors."

Source:
Medical Protection Society