Sanctions guidance (information for lawyers and others)

This page provides information on the GMC guidance that MPTS fitness to practise panels use to help them reach their decisions.

Please note this guidance is published on the website mainly for the benefit of lawyers and medical defence organisations who are familiar with our processes.

The Indicative Sanctions Guidance was last revised in April 2009.

The Indicative Sanctions Guidance for the Fitness to Practise Panel (April 2009) (265kb, pdf)  reflects our experience of the reformed fitness to practise procedures (introduced in November 2004). The document includes links to additional documents and guidance available to Fitness to Practise Panels (see Annex A). Supplementary Guidance to the Indicative Sanctions Guidance on the relevance of whether a doctor holds a licence to practise (pdf) was published in November 2009. 

Some additional guidance can also be downloaded from this page (see below).

Download the relevant documents

The following additional guidance is also available to fitness to practise panels at hearings.

• Glossary of terms used in our Conditions and Undertakings Banks (64kb, pdf)
• Guidance on the use of clinical attachments (45kb, pdf)
• Guidance for making referrals to the Postgraduate Dean or GP Director (55kb, pdf)
• Undertakings at Fitness to Practise Panel Hearings (59kb, pdf)
• Undertakings Bank (138kb, pdf)
• Fitness to Practise Panel Conditions Bank (159kb, pdf)
• Interim Orders Panel Conditions Bank (112kb, pdf)
• Guidance on voluntary erasure (83kb, pdf)
• Medical training career structure (58kb, pdf)
• Imposing Interim Orders – Guidance for the Interim Orders Panel and the Fitness to Practise Panel (172kb, pdf)
• Imposing Interim Orders - Supplementary Guidance on the licence to practise (50kb, pdf)
• Guidance on fit and proper persons to provide representation at Fitness to Practise Panels, Interim Order Panels and Investigation Committee hearings (35.7kb, pdf)
• Guidance for the Investigation Committee and case examiners when considering allegations about a doctor's involvement in encouraging or assisting suicide (197kb, pdf)

Click here to view the guidance we provide to our decision-makers at the investigation stage.