§ Dr. FoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the bodies responsible for disciplinary matters in the(a) medical profession, (b) nursing profession and (c) other professions allied to medicine or associated with healthcare.[15049]
§ Mr. HuttonDisciplinary matters in the national health service are dealt with by managers at a local level in the first instance. Some consultant doctors have a right of appeal to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State against dismissal; the NHS Plan made a commitment to remove this. General practitioners can appeal to a Family Health Services Appeal Authority (FHSAA) against a decision that they have breached their terms of service. A separate NHS Tribunal decides if a GP can be suspended or disqualified. The NHS Tribunal will be abolished later this year and its powers transferred to health authorities, with a right of appeal to an independent FHSAA.
If a person's fitness to practise their profession is called into question, this will be dealt with by the regulatory body responsible for regulation of that profession.
The eight regulatory bodies responsible for regulation of healthcare professionals are:
- General Medical Council
- United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting
- Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
- General Dental Council
- General Optical Council
- General Osteopathic Council
- General Chiropractic Council
- Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine.