Complaints

From time to time we receive adverse information about forensic practitioners; however, we can only investigate formal complaints against current registrants or applicants.

If a practitioner fails to adhere to the code of conduct, consistently performs badly, or allows a health issue to affect the quality of their work, we can take action under the fitness to practise procedures. The fitness to practise standing orders and the fitness to practise rules have been recently reviewed to take into account experience gained from considering the cases we have received to date, and swift-moving changes in the whole area of professional regulation on account of cases like Dr Harold Shipman.

There are two important, general points:

• It is generally the case that an employer, if the practitioner has one, will consider the adverse information first. So, for example, we have an agreement with ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers) that a police force will deal with adverse information about a serving officer in the first instance. The force will then notify us of the outcome and we will decide what further action, if any, may be necessary.

• Where a practitioner is also registered with a statutory body, for example, the General Medical Council (with whom we have signed a Memorandum of Understanding), General Dental Council or Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the statutory body will consider the adverse information first.

Note about the current operation of the Fitness to Practise procedures