The First Public Medical Council Inquiry


Did you know that the Fitness to Practise Committee of the Medical Council held its first public inquiry in March 2009? It was also the first time that the Fitness to Practise Committee sat with a lay majority since the Medical Practitioners Act 2007 was passed. The Inquiry was the subject of intense media scrutiny, which made for a difficult time for the doctor concerned.

Since that date the Fitness to Practise Committee have heard a second Inquiry in public. This took place on the 5 May 2009 and not one member of the public nor any journalist attended.

It is our experience, in making applications to the Fitness to Practise Committee for hearings to be held in private, that the Committee have used their discretion to deem an Inquiry appropriate to be heard in private, on a number of occasions and have exercised their discretion in a sensitive matter.

For further information on the Medical Council, please contact Caroline Crowley, Partner