A GMC referral is not a finding. The response you give now shapes everything that follows.
A well-prepared, evidence-based response at the investigation stage can close the case before it ever reaches a hearing. That window is open now — and it does not stay open.
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Tell us where you are in the process and we will call you back.
GMC investigations and fitness to practise — the key facts
The General Medical Council regulates every doctor practising in the United Kingdom. It can place conditions on your registration, suspend you from practice, or erase your name from the medical register. Its overriding concern, and that of the MPTS, is protection of the public — not fairness to you.
- You can choose your own solicitorMany MDU, MPS and MDDUS members can instruct a solicitor of their own choosing with costs met by their defence organisation. You are not required to accept the representative allocated to you.
- Interim orders can land at days' noticeThe GMC can apply to an Interim Orders Tribunal for conditions or suspension before the investigation has concluded. An IOT can restrict your practice immediately.
- The standard of proof is the civil oneAt an MPTS hearing, allegations are proved on the balance of probabilities — more likely than not. Not the criminal standard you may be expecting.
- Insight and remediation carry real weightDemonstrated insight, remorse and remediation are powerful mitigating factors, and in some cases result in the matter being closed with no hearing at all.
- There is a right of appealWhere the MPTS imposes a sanction that is disproportionate or unjustified, you may have a right of appeal to the High Court.
The investigation stage is your most important window — and the most often wasted
When a concern is referred, case examiners decide whether there is a real prospect that a tribunal would find your fitness to practise impaired. Before that decision, you are invited to respond.
That response is the most important document in the entire process. Doctors frequently write it themselves, under stress, without knowing what the case examiners are actually weighing. A response drafted to address the GMC's concerns directly, supported by evidence, is what closes cases before they become hearings.
Tell us what you have received. Nothing you say to us goes any further.
Many MDU, MPS and MDDUS policies let you choose your own solicitor at their cost. We check this for you at no obligation.
Evidence-led, addressing each concern directly, with the case examiners' test in mind.
IOT hearings at short notice, and full representation before the MPTS if it goes that far.
Interim Orders Tribunals
Where the GMC considers it necessary to protect the public, it can apply to an Interim Orders Tribunal for interim conditions or suspension while the investigation continues. These hearings can be listed at very short notice and the effect on your ability to practise is immediate.
If an IOT has been listed, specialist advice is needed straight away. We attend at short notice, make submissions on your behalf, and work to avoid or limit any interim order.
What the MPTS weighs at a hearing
A tribunal considers three questions in turn: are the facts proved, do they amount to impaired fitness to practise, and what sanction is appropriate. The civil standard applies throughout.
The factors that move the outcome are the seriousness of the conduct, how far it departed from Good Medical Practice, whether it is remediable, whether genuine insight and remediation have been shown, your regulatory history, and the risk of repetition. Outcomes run from no further action to erasure.
The cases we act in
We represent doctors facing concerns about clinical performance, clinical errors following serious untoward incidents, prescribing and medication allegations, consent, dishonesty including in research or publication, conduct towards patients, health impairment and dependency, criminal convictions and cautions, workplace conduct including bullying and harassment, social media conduct, and determinations by other regulators.
The investigation stage is where a case can be closed. By the time it reaches a hearing, the ground has already been chosen for you.
Lostock Legal SolicitorsWhat we do on your case
- Review your MDU, MPS or MDDUS policy and advise whether your costs can be met — at no obligation
- Draft a comprehensive, evidence-based response to the case examiners
- Attend Interim Orders Tribunal hearings at short notice
- Challenge the evidence relied on, and obtain independent expert clinical opinion
- Cross-examine witnesses at any MPTS hearing
- Build mitigation on insight, remediation, good character and the wider context of your practice
- Work alongside treating clinicians and independent health assessors in health impairment cases
- Advise on appeal to the High Court where a sanction is disproportionate
We respond within 1 hour during business hours. All enquiries strictly confidential.
The practical reasons this goes better with us
Beyond the specialism, two things change the economics of defending a case like this.
Our own in-house advocates
We represent you at every stage ourselves, including in the Crown Court, rather than briefing out to counsel. That keeps your costs down and means the person who knows your case is the person who argues it.
Privately funded, by design
We are not a legal aid practice carrying a heavy caseload to stay afloat. Your matter gets the time a specialist defence actually needs.
Specialist, not general practice
Criminal defence and regulatory work is what we do. Not one department among a dozen.
Where GMC referrals come from
Referrals reach the GMC by several routes, and the right approach depends on which one applies to you.
Clinical performance
Concerns about competence or poor professional performance, often following an internal review.
Serious untoward incidents
Where a clinical error has triggered a wider investigation and a referral has followed.
Prescribing concerns
Medication-related allegations, including controlled drugs and record keeping.
Dishonesty allegations
Including in research, publication, CV or qualification claims — treated very seriously.
Health and dependency
Where impairment is said to arise from a health condition rather than conduct.
Convictions and cautions
Criminal matters must be declared, and carry regulatory consequences of their own.
The solicitor who will prepare your response
Alexander
Director · Solicitor · Higher Court Advocate
- Director of the firm
- Qualified Solicitor
- Higher Court Advocate
- Crown Court jury trial advocate
Alexander is a Director of the firm, a qualified Solicitor and Higher Court Advocate. For many years he was an advocate in the Crown Court, acting for clients in jury trials, and he has acted in some of the most serious cases there are.
Regulatory proceedings turn on evidence, procedure and the quality of the written case put to a decision-maker. That is the discipline Alexander has spent his career in, and it transfers directly to fitness to practise work.
He also understands the value of being approachable. He takes the time to explain each stage, so that the process itself stops being one more thing to worry about.
Talk to us today. No obligation.
Whether you have just received a letter, been asked to respond, or have an IOT listed — the earlier we are involved, the more can be done.
- Strictly confidential — nothing leaves our office without your authority
- No obligation to instruct us
- You speak to a specialist solicitor, not a call handler
- We respond within 1 hour during business hours
Phone 0161 383 8855
Email admin@lostocklegal.com
Address Office 6, First Floor, St Thomas House, 18 St Thomas Road, Chorley PR7 1HR
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GMC investigations FAQ
Do I have to use the solicitor my defence organisation provides?
Not necessarily. Many MDU, MPS and MDDUS memberships and professional indemnity policies allow you to instruct a solicitor of your own choosing, with the cost of representation met by the organisation. We will review your policy and advise you on your options at no obligation.
Can the case be closed before a hearing?
Yes, and this is the most important thing to understand. A well-prepared, evidence-based response at the investigation stage — addressing the GMC's concerns directly and comprehensively — can result in case examiners closing the matter with no referral to a hearing at all. It is the stage at which our involvement makes the most difference.
What is an Interim Orders Tribunal?
An IOT can sit at very short notice and impose immediate conditions or suspension on your registration while the investigation is still ongoing, before the full case has been heard. Specialist representation at an IOT is essential, and we can attend at short notice.
What is the standard of proof at an MPTS hearing?
The civil standard — the balance of probabilities — not the criminal standard of beyond reasonable doubt. An allegation is proved if the tribunal considers it more likely than not to have occurred. This is a lower threshold than many doctors expect.
Will my case become public?
MPTS hearings are generally held in public and determinations are published, though parts concerning health are usually heard in private. Matters closed at the investigation stage do not reach that point at all, which is a further reason the early response matters so much.
How quickly will you respond?
Within 1 hour during business hours. If an Interim Orders Tribunal has been listed, tell us when you call — those are dealt with as a priority.
Should I just use legal aid instead?
For most professionals, legal aid is not the saving it appears to be. If your gross income is above roughly £12,475 a year you will not qualify in the magistrates' court at all, and Crown Court legal aid is means tested with monthly contributions that can end up exceeding the cost of instructing privately. Because we have our own in-house advocates covering every stage including the Crown Court, our fees are often lower than people expect.
Is everything I tell you confidential?
Yes. Every enquiry is handled in strict confidence and nothing leaves our office without your authority. That applies whether or not you go on to instruct us.
The response you give now is the one the tribunal will read
Speak to a specialist before you send it. Confidential, no obligation, and we will review your indemnity cover at the same time.
We respond within 1 hour during business hours. All enquiries strictly confidential.