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. You can find the guidance our decision makers use below.
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Considering concerns raised about a doctor's fitness to practise.
- The meaning of fitness to practise
- Investigating allegations more than five years old
- GMC Thresholds Guidance
- Insurance and Indemnity Guidance for decision makers
- Assessing risk in cases involving health concerns
- Guidance on assessing the seriousness of concerns relating to self-prescribing or prescribing to those in close personal relationships with doctors
- Guidance for decision makers on closing criminal cases at triage
- Guidance for case examiners on making restoration decisions following voluntary or administrative erasure
- Guidance for decision makers on allegations of low level violence and dishonesty
Initial enquiries to decide if a full investigation is needed
- Guidance on provisional enquiries - Purpose and overarching principles
- Guidance on provisional enquiries - Assessing suitability for provisional enquiries
- Flowchart - Assessing suitability for provisional enquiries
- Guidance on provisional enquiries - Allocation to a provisional enquiry stream
- Flowchart - Allocation to a provisional enquiry stream
- Guidance on provisional enquiries - Carrying out a provisional enquiry
- Guidance on provisional enquiries - Deciding the outcome of a provisional enquiry
- Flowchart - Deciding the outcome of a provisional enquiry
Referrals to an Interim Orders Tribunal
Decisions made during an investigation
Deciding what happens at the end of an investigation.
- Making decisions on cases at the end of the investigation stage
- The realistic prospect test
- Guidance on the impact of health in misconduct, conviction, caution and performance cases
- Guidance for decision makers on single clinical incidents
- Guidance for decision makers on deciding on the outcome of a case where the doctor under investigation has raised concerns locally
- Guidance for decision makers when considering allegations of involvement in encouraging or on assisting suicide
- Guidance on police cases resulting in acquittal or a decision not to proceed to trial
- Types of cases where failure to meet the standards may lead to action
- Guidance on agreeing, varying and revoking undertakings
- Guidance on warnings
- Guidance on drafting warnings
- Giving written advice
- Examples for decision makers of low level violence and dishonesty
The Investigation Committee
Decisions made following referral to a tribunal hearing
Monitoring restrictions
- Guidance on agreeing, varying and revoking undertakings
- Guidance for assistant registrars on making decisions in relation to a doctor subject to restricted registration
- Monitoring of unlicensed doctors
- Medical practitioners tribunals - guidance to staff on accessing suitability of cases for a Review on the Papers
Using personal information
Guidance that applies to decisions made throughout the fitness to practise process
- Publication and disclosure policy
- Guidance on convictions, cautions, determinations and other methods of disposal
- Guidance on making decisions on voluntary erasure applications and advising on administrative erasure
- Guidance for decision makers on when to take a doctor’s fitness to practise history into account
- Guidance for decision makers on Covid-19
Working with other organisations
- Sending alerts to European medical regulators
- Referring doctors to the DBS
- Referring doctors to Disclosure Scotland
- Disclosing to DBS and Disclosure Scotland under section 35B(2) of the Medical Act
- Sharing information with the police – guidance for decision makers
- Sharing information with social services – guidance for decision makers
Page last updated: 13/07/2021
