High Court upholds GMC tribunal decision after PSA appeal

The High Court has dismissed an appeal brought by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) against a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) decision, confirming that the tribunal’s findings and sanction were within the lawful range of outcomes.

In Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care v General Medical Council & Anor [2026] EWHC 1138 (Admin), the PSA challenged the tribunal’s decision under section 29 of the National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Act 2002. The PSA argued that the sanction imposed on the doctor was insufficient to protect the public, maintain confidence in the profession, or uphold proper standards.

The court held that the statutory threshold for overturning a tribunal decision had not been met. It noted that the MPTS had set out a structured assessment of the evidence, including its evaluation of insight, remediation and risk. Those findings, the court said, were open to the tribunal on the material before it.

Mr Justice Swift confirmed that a sanction is only “insufficient” for the purposes of section 29 if it falls outside the range of reasonable responses available to the tribunal. He concluded that this was not the case and that the PSA’s submissions did not demonstrate any error of law or approach.

The appeal was dismissed, and the tribunal’s original sanction remains in place.

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