— the question is whether the delay has caused serious prejudice that makes a fair hearing impossible. Delay caused by the complexity of the case, or by the registrant’s own actions, will never found a stay. Is there a time limit on fitness to practise allegations? The rules referred to above do not impose a […]
HCPC hearings are fitness to practise proceedings run by the Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service (HCPTS), the adjudication arm of the Health and Care Professions Council. An independent three-member panel decides whether the allegations are proved, whether your fitness to practise is impaired, and what sanction — if any — to impose. If you
HCPC Hearings: What to Expect at the Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service Read More »
In a judgment handed down on 24 July 2026, the Court of Appeal in Suresh and Others v General Medical Council [2026] EWCA Civ 955 has confirmed that the General Medical Council (GMC) does not owe a common law duty of care to doctors who are the subject of a fitness to practise investigation. For
Last reviewed by Jonathan Meadows (Solicitor, Regulation Resolution) on 21 July 2026. Quick answer. The Professional Standards Authority’s 2025/26 performance review found the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) met only 3 of 5 fitness to practise standards — and 16 of 18 overall, down from 17. The PSA identified “avoidable and/or unexplained significant delays
HCPC Delays Under Fire: What the PSA’s Latest Review Means for Registrants Read More »
Last reviewed by Jonathan Meadows (Solicitor, Regulation Resolution) on 21 July 2026. Quick answer. In Professional Standards Authority v NMC and Tchampet [2026] EWHC 141 (Admin) (30 January 2026), the High Court allowed a section 29 appeal by the PSA and substituted a striking-off order for the nine-month suspension an NMC panel had imposed on
PSA v NMC and Tchampet: High Court Replaces Suspension with Striking-Off Read More »
Last reviewed by Jonathan Meadows (Solicitor, Regulation Resolution) on 21 July 2026. Quick answer. On 23 April 2026 the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) asked its Council to approve changes to its Fitness to Practise Rules, intended to make proceedings faster and fairer. The five key changes: appointing Legally Qualified Chairs to Practice Committee panels;
NMC Fitness to Practise Rule Changes: What Nurses and Midwives Need to Know Read More »
Last reviewed by Jonathan Meadows (Solicitor, Regulation Resolution) on 21 July 2026. Quick answer. A run of Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) appeals has reached the Upper Tribunal (Administrative Appeals Chamber) in 2026 — including SA v DBS [2026] UKUT 232 (AAC), MK v DBS [2026] UKUT 159 (AAC), JG v DBS [2026] UKUT 131
DBS Barring Appeals in 2026: What the Upper Tribunal Is Telling Us Read More »
Last reviewed by Jonathan Meadows (Solicitor, Regulation Resolution) on 21 July 2026. Quick answer. The General Pharmaceutical Council’s June 2026 advice to newly qualified prescribing pharmacists is more than induction guidance — it sets the benchmark against which prescribing concerns will be judged in fitness to practise proceedings. Its warning that unsafe prescribing could result
Day-One Prescribers and Fitness to Practise: Risks in the New GPhC Advice Read More »
Last reviewed by Jonathan Meadows (Solicitor, Regulation Resolution) on 21 July 2026. Quick answer. On 10 June 2026 the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) published advice for pharmacists who qualify from summer 2026 under the 2021 initial education and training standards and join the register as independent prescribers from day one. The advice tells new prescribers
GPhC Advice for Newly Qualified Prescribing Pharmacists: What It Means for You Read More »
Why an interim order imposed years after the event may be wrong in principle — and why registrants across every regulator should not simply accept it.
Delay and Interim Orders: The Case for Change Read More »
