Abstract
In November 2022, the General Medical Council (GMC) published an independent review of its fitness to practice processes and the handling of the case of locum general practitioner Dr Manjula Arora. She was suspended for a period of one month in relation to a laptop request having been found to be ‘dishonest in obtaining a laptop when in fact the Trust had recorded her interest in asking for a work laptop’. The consternation was instant and palpable.
The medical profession found it difficult to understand how a request for a laptop had passed through different stages of the fitness to practice process (FtP) resulting in a sanction of a suspension to her license to practice. The profession was left in a state of shock resulting in a loss of trust for the GMC. This also threatened to undermine support from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) organisations and the medical profession for the GMC’s plans to eradicate a legacy of racial discrimination.
The review made recommendations in four areas:
Professional curiosity and local resolution first.
The need for cultural competency and diversity intelligence.
Embedding compassion in all dealings by the GMC and Medical Practitioner Tribunal Service (MPTS).
Providing support for doctors before, during and after the complaints process.