GMC places conditions on Basildics anaesthetics training over serious fitness to practise concerns

The General Medical Council has imposed conditions on the anaesthetics training programme at Basildon University Hospital after identifying significant risks to both patient safety and the working environment for doctors in training.

The action follows evidence of serious cultural and governance failings within the department, including reports of sexual misconduct, misogynistic behaviour, undermining of trainees, and unsafe staffing levels. NHS England – East of England had already withdrawn anaesthetics trainees from the department in May 2025 due to concerns about training quality and patient care.

The GMC confirmed that trainees will not return until the trust demonstrates clear, sustained improvements. The regulator has made it explicit that the issues identified raise fundamental questions about the department’s ability to provide a safe clinical and educational environment.

Professor Pushpinder Mangat, the GMC’s Medical Director and Director for Education and Standards, said the regulator must be assured that Basildon can meet the standards required for safe training and safe care. He emphasised the need for a culture in which doctors can raise concerns without fear of reprisal and where learning and accountability are embedded.

The conditions imposed require the trust to:

• Ensure appropriate staffing and the presence of qualified educators able to deliver effective clinical supervision and maintain safe rotas.
• Establish a culture that enables trainees to raise concerns about patient safety, wellbeing, and training openly and safely, while supporting adherence to clinical standards and continuous improvement.
• Put in place mechanisms that protect trainees from sexual misconduct, misogyny, and undermining behaviours, in line with equality, diversity and inclusion principles.
• Implement governance systems that demonstrate board‑level accountability for patient safety, education and training, including appointing an executive lead responsible for delivering the required improvements.

The programme has been under enhanced monitoring since July 2025, following intelligence gathered through the GMC’s national training survey and its regional outreach teams. Enhanced monitoring is used when significant risks to training or patient care are identified, and may escalate to conditions or removal of trainee approval if concerns persist.

The GMC has stated that conditions will remain in place until the trust provides robust evidence of improvement across culture, supervision, staffing and governance.

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