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Secret guidance for fitness to practise panels is withdrawn

BMJ 2014; 348 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g4163 (Published 20 June 2014) Cite this as: BMJ 2014;348:g4163
  1. Clare Dyer
  1. 1London
  1. claredyer4{at}gmail.com

Secret guidance issued to interim fitness to practise panels has been withdrawn after permission was granted to challenge it in court.

A doctors’ defence organisation argued that adverse decisions may have been reached on the basis of erroneous instructions in the guidance. It added that doctors’ defence teams would not have been able to correct these instructions because the guidance was kept secret from them.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service, which hears fitness to practise cases brought by the General Medical Council, withdrew the guidance after the Medical Protection Society won permission for an urgent High Court hearing to challenge it.

The guidance was included in a document distributed by the tribunal service titled “Circular 34/13.” The circular was issued on 17 December 2013, but doctors and their defence bodies became aware of it only when it was discovered …

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