Arms-length adjudication
His Honour David Pearl talks to Summons about the challenges in his new role as chair of the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service
T
HE Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service or MPTS was set up in 2011 as the new adjudication service for UK
doctors. It provides a hearings service that is intended to be fully independent in its decision-making and separate from the investigatory role of the GMC. His Honour David Pearl was appointed
chair of the MPTS in June 2012 to steer the organisation in its crucial development stage. As an academic, he has been a lecturer in Law at the University of Cambridge and Professor and Dean of the School of Law at the University of East Anglia. He has also acted as a circuit judge, president of the Immigration Appeal Tribunal and president of the Care Standards Tribunal.
What attracted you to the post of MPTS chair and what relevant experience do you bring to the role? I felt I had experience I could bring to this role, having helped set up the Care Standards Tribunal and sat as its president for six years. It is an exciting challenge, as I believe there is a lot of opportunity to make hearings run more efficiently and improve the consistency of our decision-making. I am enjoying it and have an excellent team around me to deliver our reforms of the MPTS.
What was wrong with the way the GMC operated before the MPTS? Tere was nothing wrong with the way it operated, but the introduction of the MPTS brings further separation between adjudication and the GMC’s investigation function. Tat was a key recommendation from Dame Janet Smith in 2004, a Government White Paper in 2007 and a further Government consultation in 2010. Te Health Select Committee welcomed the establishment of the MPTS, saying they believe it will “provide greater assurance to the public about the quality of
10 SUMMONS
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24