Category: NHS,GMC & CQC Investigations

By Amanda Feeny, Consultant Solicitor at BMA Law, Healthcare and Regulatory. Not always: Five situations where doctors may be over-reporting themselves  Doctors rightly take their reporting obligations to the GMC seriously, however, sometimes more seriously than the rules actually require. In our experience, it is not under-reporting that causes problems nearly as often as the opposite: doctors assuming that any complaint, adverse finding or difficult…

By Amanda Feeny , Consultant Solicitor at BMA Law, Healthcare and Regulatory Suresh & Others v General Medical Council [2026] EWCA Civ 955 The Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal brought by the family of the late Dr Sridharan Suresh, confirming that the General Medical Council (GMC) does not owe a common law duty of care to doctors during fitness to practise (FTP) investigations. The judgment, handed down…

By Errol Archer, Consultant Solicitor-Advocate at BMA Law CQC’s current direction of travel regarding primary care inspections should be welcomed by general practice. The regulator is resurrecting its former approach, including more frequent inspections, clearer sector-specific expectations, and more professional judgement, rather than an overly mechanistic scoring system. For GP practices, the key development is that CQC is proposing a return to the use of…

by Lisa Nabou Why is an apology such a big deal in the context of a patient complaint?   Many years ago, I was handed an apology on a sheet of paper. The note read, in large flowery writing using a black fountain pen on the top two lines of a faintly lined sheet of A4, something like this: ‘Dear Lisa, we apologise if you…

Can health workers be forced to vaccinate? The biggest vaccination programme in NHS history has been launched across England, with delivery to employees in the health and social sector a top priority. This is a momentous event and a huge moment in the battle with COVID-19, but it’s not without complications. The government have now announced that COVID-19 vaccinations are to become compulsory for staff…