The factors related to fitness to practise outcomes at the GMC and MPTS

Published 28 October 2026

Why did we conduct this research? 

We are committed to making sure our fitness to practise processes (FtP) are fair. We publish summary tables of outcomes by protected characteristics in our annual FtP statistics report. These tables cannot capture the complex relationships between protected characteristics and other factors that may be linked to outcomes, such as how serious the concerns were. To help us better understand this, and in support of our work to regularly review our policies and guidance, we carried out a large-scale multivariate analysis to examine 10 years of data.  

What did the research involve? 

The analysis looked at the three main stages of our FtP processes: triage, case examination, and hearings at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS). It explored which of a large number of factors captured in our data were related to outcomes at each stage. Factors included:  

  • whether there was a criminal conviction 
  • concern seriousness 
  • allegation types (e.g. clinical competence, honesty or fairness) 
  • the source of the referral (e.g. police, self) 
  • the doctor's practice type (e.g. GP, paediatrician, trainee) 
  • protected characteristics 
  • whether doctors qualified in the UK 
  • socio-economics (e.g. childhood deprivation).

What were the key findings? 

The factors most strongly related to the most severe outcomes were criminal conviction, allegation type, the seriousness of the concern and referral source. 

Once other factors were taken into account, we found no reliable link between outcomes and doctors’ protected characteristics. 

How will the research inform our work? 

The analysis gives us a more accurate understanding of the factors associated with FtP outcomes. It will help us keep looking for any signs of disproportionality, and identify where we can improve our processes, as part of our commitment to making sure they are fair. We'll also continue to publish FtP outcomes by protected characteristics every year.  

Download the research 

  • A summary of the research
  • The technical research report is currently undergoing academic peer review and will be published on a preprint server, an online platform for sharing research before it is published in a journal. A link will be added here when it is available.