In short
No: after a dishonesty allegation a probity CPD course is a starting point, not the whole answer, because the GMC’s case examiners look at what you have understood and changed, and a certificate alone shows neither. Our Probity & Ethics GMC probity course, Probity for Healthcare Professionals, gives 2 CPD hours for £79 (£50 with Bulk Buy 10), with a certificate on completion, and its own section on insight, reflection and remediation. Pair it with an honest written reflection and evidence of what you have put right; the same CPD course also counts as CPD for appraisal and revalidation.
Facing a dishonesty allegation?
A claim, a timesheet, a declaration, a CV or a record has been questioned, and the GMC is investigating your honesty.
Keeping your probity CPD current?
You want CPD on declarations, conflicts of interest and honest records before any question arises.
Is a GMC probity course enough on its own?
A certificate on its own shows that you completed a course. It does not show that you understand why dishonesty breaks the trust that Domain 4 of Good medical practice describes, that you accept what happened, or that it will not happen again. A dishonesty case depends on those questions. The course page itself says the certificate on its own counts for little in a probity case, and that the written reflection attached to it matters more.
The course is still the right first step: it gives you the standard and a structure for your reflection.
What Good medical practice (2024) says about honesty
The first duty listed for Trust and professionalism is “Act with honesty and integrity, and be open if things go wrong.” Domain 4 sets out what that means under four headings that cover a dishonesty allegation:
- Acting with honesty and integrity: be honest about your experience, qualifications and current role, and honest in financial and commercial dealings with patients, employers, insurers and others.
- Communicating as a medical professional: information you give must be accurate and not misleading; check it, do not leave out relevant facts and do not present opinion as fact.
- Managing conflicts of interest: declare any conflict and do not let your interests affect, or appear to affect, your decisions.
- Cooperating with legal and regulatory requirements: cooperate with investigations, provide all relevant information and be open and honest.
The last heading applies to the investigation itself. A response that minimises or leaves out facts can become a second honesty concern. The Good medical practice paragraphs on probity are explained in our GMC probity guide.
How the GMC deals with a dishonesty allegation
The GMC’s guide Our fitness to practise processes describes the same route for every concern: triage, an investigation in which you are asked for your comments, then a decision by two case examiners, one medical and one non-medical. They can take no further action, issue a warning, agree undertakings or refer you to a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) tribunal. The GMC can also refer you to an interim orders tribunal at any stage.
If the case reaches a tribunal, it decides whether your fitness to practise is impaired and, if so, what action is needed, up to removal from the register. The guide says a tribunal sanction takes effect 28 days after you receive the decision letter, unless you appeal. What a hearing involves is in our guide to preparing for a fitness to practise hearing.
What to put alongside the probity course
Take advice from your defence organisation first. Then build the evidence in this order:
- Insight: show you understand why the conduct breached Domain 4 and how it affects trust in doctors. The Module on Insight gives a method for this.
- Reflection: write in your own words what you did, why, what you see differently now and what you have changed. The Module on Reflection helps you structure it.
- Putting it right: evidence of any correction, repayment or declaration made since.
- Changed practice: what you now do to stop it recurring, such as checking forms with a colleague before you sign.
The GMC’s page on investigations says no further action can follow where the doctor “has made a great effort to make sure they won’t make the mistake again”. These four pieces, with the certificate, are how you show that effort.
What the GMC probity course covers
Six sections and 16 lessons: what probity is; why it matters to patients, colleagues and the public; the core areas of probity, including declarations, conflicts of interest and record corrections; regulatory expectations and standards; insight, reflection and remediation; and a closing assessment. A reflective quiz ends each of the first five sections.
When a different course fits better
If the allegation is about money, such as fees, claims or a financial interest, Financial Integrity and Professionalism for Healthcare Professionals goes deeper into that area. If it is about a record that was altered or backdated, take Professionalism in Documentation for Healthcare Professionals with the probity course.
Counting a probity course as CPD for GMC revalidation
The GMC asks for CPD every year across your whole practice, with reflection on what you learned, and sets no points target. Probity is part of every doctor’s practice, so the course counts with or without a concern.
Please note
This guide is general information, not legal advice. No course decides the outcome of a case. Speak to your defence organisation, indemnity provider or union before you send anything to the GMC.
Our GMC probity course for a dishonesty allegation, and for CPD
For doctors facing a dishonesty allegation
Probity for Healthcare Professionals
Honesty, declarations and conflicts of interest under Good medical practice (2024), and how to show insight, reflection and remediation. Probity & Ethics is CPD certified and accredited by The CPD Certification Service (provider no. 13197).
- £79 (£50 with Bulk Buy 10)
- 2 CPD hours
- Certificate on completion
Courses that sit beside it
Bulk Buy covers the £79 courses: 3 for £200, 5 for £300, 10 for £500. Not sure what to take? Book a free 15-minute call or see which course do I need.
Guides that help
This guide is part of our Professional Misconduct hub, which brings together every Probity & Ethics guide and course on the subject.
The CPD courses linked from this guide, Probity for Healthcare Professionals, Module on Insight, Module on Reflection and Financial Integrity for Healthcare Professionals, are by Probity & Ethics, written by Dr Shehzad Iqbal, CPD certified and accredited by The CPD Certification Service (provider no. 13197) and offered since 2020.
Questions and answers
Is a probity course enough after a GMC dishonesty allegation?
No. It is a starting point. The case examiners look for insight, an honest reflection and evidence of what you have put right and changed.
Who decides a GMC dishonesty case?
Two case examiners, one medical and one non-medical, decide at the end of the investigation. They can refer the case to an MPTS tribunal, which decides whether fitness to practise is impaired.
Can a doctor stay registered with the GMC after a dishonesty finding?
It depends on the case. Outcomes run from no further action to removal from the register, and the evidence of insight and remediation goes to that decision.
Does a probity course count as CPD for revalidation?
Yes. It gives 2 CPD hours with a dated certificate; the GMC asks for yearly CPD with reflection and sets no points target.
Should I take the insight and reflection modules as well?
They help. Each is £49 for 1.5 CPD hours and gives a method for the written response the case examiners read.
Sources
This guide is based on the following GMC pages, read on 5 November 2026.
