Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision by Leicester NHS Trust to reinstate the employment of a doctor who was convicted of manslaughter in 2015; and what safeguards are in place to assess professional competence in this and equivalent situations.

As the independent regulator, the General Medical Council (GMC) assesses all fitness to practise concerns therefore, it would not be appropriate for the Department to make a specific assessment of their decisions. In serious cases, doctors are referred to the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service who make decisions on a doctor’s fitness to practice. If any restrictions are imposed on a doctor’s practise, the tribunal can only lift them if they are satisfied that there is no likely risk of repetition or danger to the public.

We expect National Health Service organisations to have robust recruitment procedures. For healthcare professionals, this includes confirmation with the relevant professional regulatory body to ensure the individual has a license to practise and does not have any ongoing fitness to practise concerns. Where the outcome of pre-employment checks or any subsequent risk assessment are unsatisfactory, organisations retain the right to withdraw the offer of employment.