Professional Discipline

3PB has many years of experience and an exceptional track record in professional discipline cases.

3PB specialise in the healthcare sector and fitness to practise proceedings and frequently represent healthcare practitioners before regulators including, but not limited to the: General Medical Council/Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (GMC/MPTPS), General Dental Council (GDC), Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC), General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), General Optical Council (GOC), General Chiropractic Council (GCC), Social Work England (SWE) and many other statutory and non-statutory professional regulators .

Our members also have extensive experience of appearing before the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) in proceedings and frequently represent headteachers and teachers before the regulator.

We also regularly act for individuals and organisations challenging decisions of the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (“Ofsted”) as well as members of other professions (eg accountants, actuaries, architects, solicitors and surveyors) in disciplinary proceedings.

In addition to conducting substantive hearings, we are often engaged at an early stage to represent practitioners at Interim Order hearings, to draft submissions to Case

Examiners and to advise on evidence and strategy. We have vast experience of cases involving serious professional misconduct, criminal convictions, lack of competence/deficient professional performance and ill-health.

If you are a doctor, dentist, nurse, midwife, social worker or teacher facing a fitness to practise investigation, we can offer you advice and representation. Have you been suspended, struck off, erased or prohibited from practising by your professional regulator? Or made subject to harsh Conditions of Practice? Our specialist professional discipline defence? barristers offer a comprehensive appeals advice service on a direct public access basis, which includes, , reviewing all the evidence in your case and the reasons given by the regulator for imposing a sanction and providing you with clear advice about your prospects of successfully appealing.

We know that fitness to practise investigations are often accompanied by other proceedings and our members also have substantial expertise in a broad range of related areas including: DBS referrals, Inquests, CQC and Ofsted inspections and Employment Tribunal, Health and Safety, Criminal and Clinical Negligence cases.

For appeals of decisions, 3PB’s team of specialist barristers have substantial experience of High Court and County Court appeals against the determinations of professional regulators.

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