We’ll let you know a concern has been raised about your practice by email which will contain a few forms for you to send any information you have that could help us decide if we need to investigate the concern.
Once you’ve received notification from us that a concern has been raised about your fitness to practise, you’ll have 14 days from the date on the letter to respond to any of the allegations.
We recommend providing us with information like:
- If you’re currently employed and if your employer has taken any steps to manage any risks.
- Any information about the context in which the incident or incidents occurred
- Any evidence of steps you’ve taken to address the concerns, like completing courses or extra training
- Any evidence of insight you have or any reflections you’ve undertaken so far about the concerns that were raised.
Although you don’t have to respond to the concerns within the 14 days, you do need to complete the personal details form and send us your employers details. You can read more about how we handle any personal details you send us in our Information Handling Guidance.
Providing us with these details, and updating us when things change, is important and enables us to make the right decision as soon as possible.
Why it’s helpful to engage with us early on
Talking to us about a concern that’s been raised about your practice can seem daunting, but engaging with us early on is really important. A few reasons for this are:
- Having all the information early on means we can make the right decision as soon as possible. For instance, if you provide us with any information that demonstrates you’ve addressed the concern that’s been raised, our decision makers might decide that you’re currently fit to practise and there is no need to undertake a more detailed investigation of the concerns raised.
- Knowing about the context in which an incident happened helps our decision makers to understand what went wrong and why.
- If we get your response at an early stage, it can reduce the level of investigation required and the time that the process takes.
Informing your employer
As set out in section 23 the Code, you have to tell us or your employer if you’ve been disciplined by any regulatory or licencing organisation or received any cautions or convictions against you as soon as possible.
It’s also likely that individual contracts of employment will require you to promptly tell your employer of any issues that call into question your fitness to practise.
It’s important to tell your employer if you have been referred to us as they may be able to help you strengthen your practice and support you through the process.
Trade union or professional body representation
If you’re a member of a trade union or professional body, you might find it helpful to discuss your concern with them when you know a concern about your practice has been raised.
Your union representative can also be another source of support throughout the other areas fitness to practise process like during the investigation or hearing stages.
During the process, you or your representative might need to give us more details in writing, talk through your experience with a member of our team or receive written information from us.
As a result, if you choose to have someone to represent you, we’ll need their full contact details and your signature to say you’re happy for us to share information with them.
You can provide us with this information by filling out the ‘consent for the NMC to share information with your representative’ form that will be in the initial email you receive from us.
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