Fitness to practise of doctors explained

Doctors are one of many professions that are regulated in the UK and around the world. Regulation helps the public have trust and confidence in professionals.

This is because one function of almost all regulators is to protect the public in some way. Regulators set the professional standards expected of a profession. They can also take action when individuals seriously depart from the standards, to minimise the risk to the public.

At some point in a doctor’s career, a concern may be raised about their performance, behaviour, or the impact that a health condition is having on their ability to practise safely. The concern may be raised with them, their employer, or to us, as their regulator.

This guide explains our role to assess concerns, the principles we follow, and how we support doctors throughout the process.

  1. Summary
  2. Our role in protecting the public
  3. Our approach to public confidence concerns
  1. How we make sure concerns raised with us are appropriate and fair
  2. How we assess and respond to fitness to practise concerns
  3. How we support doctors in the fitness to practise processes
Next Our role in protecting the public

Related content

Supporting you with your concern Find information on how to take your concern forward and the support available to you.
Support for doctors If you do find you need support during an investigation, we're here to help. From managing your health to emotional support, we have resources for you. 
How we investigate concerns Often, investigations end with no need to take any action. Find out how our investigation process works. 
How we make decisions Our decision makers use a range of guidance to help them reach decisions in cases where concerns have been raised about a doctor’s fitness to practise.
Our sanctions We can take action to make sure we protect patients, maintain confidence in the medical profession and uphold the standards we expect of doctors.