How the GMC and the MPTS work
In the United Kingdom the General Medical Council investigates concerns about doctors, and the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service runs the hearings that decide them.
- The MPTS says it provides a tribunal service that is separate from the investigatory role of the General Medical Council, and that its hearings make independent decisions about whether doctors are fit to practise.1
- There are two main kinds of hearing. A medical practitioners tribunal decides whether a doctor's fitness to practise is impaired and what action, if any, is needed. An interim orders tribunal decides whether a doctor's practice should be restricted while an investigation continues.2
- Published decisions of both kinds of tribunal can be searched on the MPTS website.2
- A doctor can appeal a tribunal direction for erasure, suspension or conditions within 28 days beginning with the date on which notice of the decision was served. In England and Wales the appeal goes to the High Court, in Scotland to the Court of Session and in Northern Ireland to the High Court of Justice in Northern Ireland.3
- The GMC itself can appeal a tribunal decision within 28 days if it considers the decision not sufficient for the protection of the public, which includes protecting the health, safety and well being of the public, maintaining public confidence in the profession and maintaining proper professional standards.4
- Undertakings are agreed between the GMC and a doctor and monitored by the GMC. Conditions are directed by an MPTS tribunal, which schedules a review hearing when it imposes them.5
Sources
- Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service, About the MPTS (28 October 2026)
- Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service, Hearings and decisions (28 October 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk, Medical Act 1983, section 40, Appeals (28 October 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk, Medical Act 1983, section 40A, Appeals by the General Council (28 October 2026)
- General Medical Council, How we monitor sanctions (28 October 2026)