Geoff Payne appointed as Chair of Medical Practitioners Tribunal

Geoff Payne has recently been appointed as a Chair of the Medical Practitioners Tribunal (MPT).  He will commence sitting later in 2017 and will undertake that work alongside his practice as a barrister.
The MPT protects patients by making independent decisions about a doctor’s fitness to practice, measured against professional standards set by the General Medical Council (GMC).  It hears cases prosecuted by the GMC, some of which can be lengthy.  It has the power to impose sanctions on a doctor’s practice where necessary.
Recent reforms have heralded the appointment of Legally Qualified Chairs to the MPT.  The chair is responsible for maintaining fairness and advising the lay and medical members of the Tribunal on matters of law.  They take part in making decisions about whether a doctor is fit to practice, the imposition of sanctions where required and interim orders to protect the public until a case can be heard.  Most hearings are held in public and some of them are high-profile.
25 Bedford Row has seen an increase in the amount of regulatory and disciplinary work that it undertakes.  Members now sit on or appear before the Nursing and Midwifery Council, Police Misconduct Panels, the Medical Practitioners Panel, the General Dental Council, the Football Association and other regulatory bodies