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Authority statement on the decision of the MPTS in the case of Dr Manjula Arora

01 Jun 2022

We are aware of the recently published decision by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) to suspend Dr Manjula Arora for one month. This decision, along with the GMC’s investigation and the decision by Dr Arora’s employer to refer the case to the GMC, has caused significant concern within the medical community. We have received correspondence from the British Medical Association (BMA), Doctors’ Association UK (DAUK) and the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) about it.

The Authority will not comment on the substance of the decision at this stage. We have yet to complete our assessment of it under our Section 29 jurisdiction and would also not wish to affect any appeal that Dr Arora may bring.

We wish to understand more about the concerns in this case and the extent to which they may apply to other cases. We will be seeking further information from the GMC, in particular about the outcome of its review. We are also keen to receive further information from the BMA, DAUK, BAPIO and other interested stakeholders. This information will help inform the scope of any further work we undertake, as part of our performance review function, to understand how the GMC’s fitness to practise processes are operating, including the impact they are having on registrants from ethnic minorities and overseas-trained doctors.

We welcome feedback more widely to our Share your experience inbox: Share@professionalstandards.org.uk or find out more about sharing experience and feedback with us here.

ENDS

Contact: media@progressionalstandards.org.uk

Note to Editors

  1. The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care oversees 10 statutory bodies that regulate health and social care professionals in the UK.
  2. We assess their performance and report to Parliament. We also conduct audits and investigations and can appeal fitness to practise cases to the courts if we consider that sanctions are insufficient to protect the public and it is in the public interest.
  3. The Standards of Good Regulation are designed to ensure that the regulators are protecting the public but also promoting confidence in health and care professionals and themselves. The Standards cover the regulators’ four core functions: setting and promoting guidance and standards for the profession; setting standards for and quality assuring the provision of education and training; maintaining a register of professionals; and taking action where a professional’s fitness to practise may be impaired.
  4. We also set standards for organisations holding voluntary registers for health and social care occupations and accredit those that meet them.
  5. We share good practice and knowledge, conduct research and introduce new ideas to our sector. We monitor policy developments in the UK and internationally and provide advice on issues relating to professional standards in health and social care.
  6. We do this to promote the health, safety and wellbeing of users of health and social care services and the public. We are an independent body, accountable to the UK Parliament
  7. Our values are – integrity, transparency, respect, fairness and teamwork – and we strive to ensure that they are at the core of our work.
  8. More information about our work and the approach we take is available at www.professionalstandards.org.uk