Statistics and figures
- Summary
- Information about 'Rule 12'
- Statistics and figures
The rule 12 internal review process is governed by a strict set of Rule 12 procedural rules. Sometimes, we will receive a review request but can’t take it further. This can be for several different reasons, such as if a doctor isn’t registered with us anymore or if the concerns haven’t been formally considered by our fitness to practise team yet.
Please see the below table for information about the requests we received between 2022 and 2025.
| Year | Number of requests received | Number of requests we couldn’t consider | Number reviewed | Number reopened* | Average timescale to decision** |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 572 | 62 | 17 | 22 | 19 weeks |
| 2023 | 619 | 85 | 29 | 18 | 18 weeks |
| 2024 | 646 | 66 | 39 | 15 | 18 weeks |
| 2025 | 851 | 135 | 32 | 30 | 30 weeks |
* Some requests are received in the previous year, so the number of decisions to reopen can be higher than the number of decisions to review.
**This is the timescale to our first decision point (review/do not review). Data was taken from our case management system on 17 September 2026.
If you would like any further information about the details of these requests, please contact foi@gmc-uk.org.
How long does a request take?
We can’t advise on a specific timescale for a request to be considered, but our average timescales to decide whether we should review the decision or not are set out in the table above.
We will contact you as soon as possible after receiving your request. This may take several months, as it needs to go through our initial assessment process in the first instance.
A case officer will be allocated your request, and they will act as your main point of contact. They will provide periodic updates on the status of your request.
When a decision has been made, we will write to you with a copy of this and we will either confirm your request has been closed or explain the next steps.
Please note that we are particularly busy at the moment and it may take some time for your request to be allocated to a decision maker. As our rules state we can only review a decision taken within the last two years, we would encourage requests to be sent to us as soon as possible, to give us enough time to assess the request before the two year period is reached.
