Support for Doctors During Suspension: What You Can Do Next

Understanding Suspension

Facing suspension from the General Medical Council (GMC) or the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) is one of the most challenging experiences any doctor can go through. For many, it feels like their professional identity has been stripped away overnight. The uncertainty, reputational stress, and fear of what comes next can be overwhelming.

However, while suspension can be isolating, it is also a critical period to demonstrate reflection, learning, and growth. The GMC and MPTS both look for evidence that a doctor understands what went wrong, accepts responsibility, and has taken concrete steps to prevent recurrence.

Why Taking Action During Suspension Matters

Suspension is not the end of your medical career. It is an opportunity to rebuild trust and demonstrate that you are committed to safe and ethical practice. The most effective way to do this is through structured remediation and targeted CPD learning.

Doctors who actively engage in professional development during suspension tend to show:

• Insight into the causes and consequences of their actions.
• Reflection on the impact of their behaviour on patients, colleagues, and public confidence.
• Remediation through concrete, documented steps to address identified shortcomings.
• Commitment to professional values such as honesty, integrity, and patient-centred care.

Tribunals and review panels place significant weight on evidence of these behaviours. Taking initiative now can strengthen your case when the time comes to review your suspension or apply for reinstatement.

What the GMC and MPTS Expect

Both the GMC and MPTS emphasise that remediation and insight are ongoing processes, not one-off actions. The GMC’s guidance on fitness to practise highlights the importance of proactive learning and engagement.

This means that during suspension, you should:

• Keep your professional knowledge up to date through structured CPD.
• Undertake ethics and professionalism training relevant to your case.
• Prepare reflective statements that demonstrate deep learning and accountability.
• Seek feedback or mentoring if possible.

Useful resources include the official guidance on the GMC website and the MPTS professional conduct framework. You may also wish to seek advice from professional support organisations such as the Doctor Defence Service, which provides legal and practical support for doctors under investigation or suspension.

How Probity & Ethics Can Help

At Probity & Ethics, we specialise in helping healthcare professionals navigate fitness to practise investigations and suspensions with CPD-accredited online courses tailored to GMC expectations.

Our courses are designed to help you reflect, remediate, and rebuild professional trust. They are self-paced, confidential, and provide verifiable certificates that can be presented to the GMC, MPTS, or your responsible officer.

Courses most relevant for suspended doctors include:

• Fitness to Practise for Healthcare Professionals – understand how regulators assess remediation, insight, and professionalism.
• Professionalism for Healthcare Professionals – strengthen your understanding of ethical conduct and accountability.
• Ethics for Healthcare Professionals – develop moral reasoning, integrity, and reflection to support your case.
• Probity and Honesty for Healthcare Professionals – rebuild trust through integrity, transparency, and accurate documentation.

All courses are accessible through our Online Courses page.

Steps You Can Take Now

Even while suspended, you can demonstrate commitment and accountability by:

1. Completing structured CPD relevant to your case.
2. Maintaining a reflective portfolio that records your learning and personal growth.
3. Engaging in mentorship or supervision, if permitted.
4. Developing insight statements that clearly explain what you have learned from the process.
5. Collecting evidence of remediation — including course certificates, mentor reports, and feedback.

Taking these steps shows the GMC and MPTS that you are serious about learning from the past and ensuring safe, professional practice in the future.

A Message of Hope

Suspension does not define the end of your career — it defines a moment for reflection and renewal. Many doctors have successfully returned to practice after demonstrating strong remediation, ethical awareness, and accountability.

By using this time to focus on professional growth, you can transform a difficult period into a foundation for future trust and competence.

Take the Next Step

If you are currently suspended and unsure how to move forward, explore our Online Courses today. Our Ethics, Professionalism, and Fitness to Practise courses are specifically designed to help doctors in your position demonstrate the reflection and remediation that the GMC and MPTS expect.

Taking action now can make a real difference to your professional future.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question 1: What should I do if I’m a doctor suspended by the GMC and need help?
If you’re a doctor suspended by the GMC and need help, start by taking proactive steps to demonstrate reflection and remediation. Completing structured CPD in ethics, professionalism, and fitness to practise through Probity & Ethics provides verifiable evidence of learning and improvement.

Question 2: Can completing CPD courses help reduce my suspension period?
While completing CPD courses doesn’t guarantee early reinstatement, it demonstrates insight, accountability, and a commitment to professional standards — all of which are important when the GMC or MPTS review your case.

Question 3: Can I work or study while suspended by the GMC?
During suspension, you cannot practise as a doctor. However, you can still study, reflect, and complete CPD courses to show engagement and learning. Evidence of continuous professional development will help you demonstrate readiness to return to safe, ethical practice when reviewed by the MPTS.