Medical Council · NMBI · Dental Council · PSI · CORU · Complaint or fitness to practise inquiry
Fitness to Practise for Healthcare Professionals facing a complaint to their regulator or a fitness to practise inquiry
A letter from your regulator, and the first time you have had to think about fitness to practise.
- Clinical — a prescribing error, a missed diagnosis or an infection control lapse
- Probity — a backdated note, falsified stock records or a false claim
- Boundaries — a boundaries breach with a patient or a colleague, or a dual relationship
- Confidentiality — patient information discussed in public, accessed without need or shared on a messaging app
- Behaviour — rudeness to a patient, a colleague belittled, or a post online
- Health — a health condition, or alcohol or drug misuse, affecting safe practice
- Teams — a safety concern not escalated, or information withheld at handover
- Any other concern — raised with your regulator about your practice or conduct
Facing a complaint or a fitness to practise inquiry — before the Medical Council, NMBI, the Dental Council, the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland or CORU — and need to know what it means and how to respond?
This course is for a healthcare professional facing a complaint or fitness to practise inquiry in Ireland. This course helps you remediate — and show the remediation, with a dated certificate for your written response, your reflection, an undertaking or an inquiry.
| Courses | Price per course | You save |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | €100 | No saving |
| 2 | €88 | €25 |
| 3 | €83 | €50 |
| 5 | €80 | €100 |
| 10 | €70 | €300 |
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Immediate access · certificate on completion · twelve months' access
- 2 CPD hours
- Self-paced
- Written for Ireland
- CPD certificate
- From €70 a course (Bulk Buy of 10)
Dr Shehzad IqbalFounder, course author and facilitatorMBBS, MRCS, MRCGP
Dr Mo MirzaCourse facilitatorMedically trained, UCL London
Ludmila UpenieceBusiness development and supportPsychology, UEL London
At a glance
- Who it is for
- Any healthcare professional in Ireland facing a complaint to their regulator, a preliminary decision, an undertaking, a fitness to practise inquiry or a decision on sanction, whatever the concern
- Regulator covered
- Applies to practitioners registered with the Medical Council, NMBI, the Dental Council, the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland or CORU
- Length
- 10 sections, 54 lessons, 2 CPD hours
- Format
- Self-paced, online, immediate access, twelve months from purchase
- Certificate
- Certificate issued by Healthcare Ethics Courses on completion, dated, with the course title and 2 CPD hours
- Price
- €100 · from €70 a course (Bulk Buy of 10)
Certificate issued by Healthcare Ethics CoursesRemediation courses for regulatory processes.
The certificate you will receive
How healthcare professionals use it
- With a written response to your regulator or its preliminary committee, alongside a reflection
- When an undertaking or a consent is discussed, or in your evidence to an inquiry committee
- As a dated record of remediation for the regulator when sanction is considered
Who this course is for
The first letter from your regulator
You have been told of a complaint and you do not know what happens next. The course explains what fitness to practise means, what the five regulators look at, and how a response is read; the process section below sets out the stages for each regulator.
Facing an allegation of professional misconduct
Professional misconduct is a ground of complaint under four of the Acts and, under the Dentists Act 1985, a ground for an application for an inquiry. The course covers the concerns that lead to a case, from clinical competence and probity to boundaries, confidentiality, behaviour, health and teamwork.
Before a Preliminary Proceedings Committee
At the Medical Council, NMBI, the PSI and CORU the committee looks at a complaint before any inquiry; at the Dental Council the Fitness to Practise Committee decides whether there is a prima facie case. A response that admits, links to the code and shows targeted action is what the course builds.
Facing a fitness to practise inquiry
The complaint has gone to a Fitness to Practise Committee, a Professional Conduct Committee or a Health Committee. Section 8 covers behaviour, communication and the presentation of evidence at a hearing, and the conduct that weakens or strengthens a case.
Referred by your employer
Under each Act a concern may be raised by any person, and the regulator itself can complain or apply for an inquiry. In 2024, 45% of the complaints NMBI received came from employers. The course covers the response whoever raised the concern, including a self-report (Section 3).
Under an undertaking, conditions or a sanction
An undertaking you have given, conditions on your registration or a sanction may ask you to show what you have done to address the concern. You receive a dated certificate for 2 CPD hours, and the course shows the other evidence that sits beside it.
The concerns this course speaks to
Clinical competence and patient safety
Repeated prescribing errors, a missed diagnosis, poor infection control, unsafe delegation. Section 3 covers clinical competence as a cause of concern, and Section 7 follows a prescribing case through antimicrobial stewardship CPD and an audit of 50 prescribing cases.
Probity and honesty
Backdated notes, falsified stock records, a misrepresented qualification, false PRSI claims. The course treats dishonesty as a concern that can be taken more seriously than a clinical error, and compares weak and strong responses to it (Sections 3, 4 and 7).
Professional boundaries with a patient or a colleague
An inappropriate relationship, a financial entanglement, over-familiar messages, with a patient or a colleague. Section 3 covers boundaries with patients and colleagues as a cause of concern, and Section 7 follows a social worker’s friendship with a vulnerable client through to supervisor attestations.
Confidentiality
A patient discussed in public, a record accessed without clinical need, details shared on a messaging app. The course covers confidentiality breaches and the response to them, including a pharmacist’s conversation in a public café (Sections 3, 4 and 7).
Behaviour and communication
Rudeness to a patient, a colleague belittled, a post online. Section 3 covers professional behaviour and communication as a cause of concern, and why a lapse that is repeated, or answered without reflection, escalates.
Health, alcohol and drugs
A health condition, or alcohol or drug misuse, affecting safe practice. Health is a ground in its own right under each Act, and the course covers it as a cause of concern in which support, treatment and supervision sit beside remediation (Section 3).
Teams and systems
A safety alert ignored, information withheld at handover, a colleague’s error covered up. Section 3 covers systems awareness and team failures, and why patient safety has to come before loyalty to a colleague or convenience.
The response and the hearing
Denial, defensiveness, minimisation, a generic promise or irrelevant CPD. Section 4 sets weak and strong responses side by side, Section 6 covers the portfolio, and Section 8 behaviour, communication and presentation at a hearing.
Facing a complaint to your regulator or a fitness to practise inquiry? This course helps you remediate — and show it.
Buy this course — €100 (€70 with Bulk Buy 10)What the course covers
Ten sections and 54 lessons, with a reflective quiz closing each of the first nine and a post-course assessment at the end.
Introduction — What Does Fitness to Practise Mean in Irish Healthcare?
Four lessons
Regulator Perspectives — Medical Council, NMBI, PSI, Dental Council, CORU
Six lessons
Common Triggers for Fitness-to-Practise Investigations
Seven lessons
Weak vs Strong Responses to Concerns
Four lessons
Reflection, Insight, and Remediation in Fitness-to-Practise Cases
Six lessons
Building Fitness-to-Practise Portfolios — CPD, Audits, Supervision, Feedback
Eight lessons
Case Studies — Cross-Profession Examples from Irish Healthcare
Six lessons
Professionalism at Hearings — Behaviour, Communication, Presentation
Six lessons
Embedding Fitness to Practise into Identity and Lifelong Standards
Five lessons
Conclusion and Key Takeaways
Two lessons, Conclusion and Key Takeaways, and the post-course assessment
Show every lesson title
- Section 01 · Introduction — What Does Fitness to Practise Mean in Irish Healthcare?
- What Fitness to Practise Means; Why Fitness to Practise Matters for Patients; Why Fitness to Practise Matters for Regulators; Fitness to Practise as a Lifelong Standard.
- Section 02 · Regulator Perspectives — Medical Council, NMBI, PSI, Dental Council, CORU
- Medical Council of Ireland; Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI); Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI); Dental Council of Ireland; CORU — Health and Social Care Professionals Council; Shared Regulator Themes.
- Section 03 · Common Triggers for Fitness-to-Practise Investigations
- Clinical Competence and Patient Safety; Probity and Honesty; Professional Boundaries; Confidentiality Breaches; Professional Behaviour and Communication; Health and Substance Misuse; Systems Awareness and Team Failures.
- Section 04 · Weak vs Strong Responses to Concerns
- Features of Weak Responses; Features of Strong Responses; Case Comparisons; Why Responses Matter.
- Section 05 · Reflection, Insight, and Remediation in Fitness-to-Practise Cases
- Reflection — Looking Back with Honesty and Structure; Insight — Understanding Why the Lapse Mattered; Remediation — Taking Concrete Corrective Action; How Reflection, Insight, and Remediation Interconnect; Regulator Expectations Across Professions; Practical Tips for Professionals.
- Section 06 · Building Fitness-to-Practise Portfolios — CPD, Audits, Supervision, Feedback
- Purpose of a Fitness-to-Practise Portfolio; Reflective Statements; Continuing Professional Development (CPD); Clinical or Administrative Audits; Supervision or Mentorship; Patient and Colleague Feedback; Integration of Evidence; Practical Tips for Portfolios.
- Section 07 · Case Studies — Cross-Profession Examples from Irish Healthcare
- Medicine — Prescribing Error; Nursing — Documentation Lapse; Pharmacy — Confidentiality Breach; Dentistry — Financial Misconduct; Allied Health — Boundary Breach; Shared Lessons Across Professions.
- Section 08 · Professionalism at Hearings — Behaviour, Communication, Presentation
- Behaviour at Hearings; Communication at Hearings; Presentation of Evidence; Conduct that Weakens Cases; Conduct that Strengthens Cases; Practical Tips for Hearings.
- Section 09 · Embedding Fitness to Practise into Identity and Lifelong Standards
- Fitness to Practise as Professional Identity; Daily Habits that Maintain Fitness; Mentorship and Role Modelling; Resilience and Sustainability; Fitness Across a Career.
- Section 10 · Conclusion and Key Takeaways
- Conclusion; Key Takeaways.
How to respond to a complaint or fitness to practise inquiry
Whether it is read at the preliminary stage, by an inquiry committee or by the regulator deciding a sanction, your response is read for what it shows about future practice. These are the four parts to set out, and what the course gives you for each.
The complaint describes the past; your response is read for what it says about the future.
- Honest admissionWhat happened, accepted without excuses.Section 4 sets out the features of weak and strong responses, with case comparisons.
- The codeThe standard in your own regulator’s code that the conduct did not meet.Section 2 covers the five regulators, and Section 5 what each expects to see in a reflection.
- The effectOn patients, colleagues and public trust.Section 5 covers reflection, insight and remediation and how they connect.
- Targeted action and evidenceCPD on the subject, audits, supervision, feedback.Section 6 covers building the portfolio — and this course is a dated item for it.
A response that argues the facts and never names the standard leaves the committee to name it for you.
Take advice from your indemnifier, your union or professional body, or a solicitor before you respond to anyone.
Facing a complaint to your regulator or a fitness to practise inquiry? This course helps you remediate — and show it.
Buy this course — €100 (€70 with Bulk Buy 10)How this course helps with a complaint or fitness to practise inquiry
What the regulators look at
The Medical Council says its Preliminary Proceedings Committee will decide if there is “enough cause to take further action” (Medical Council). NMBI’s Guidance on Sanctions says “Mere acknowledgement of the findings does not necessarily demonstrate insight.” The course covers the concerns that lead to a case (Section 3), the difference between a weak and a strong response (Section 4), and reflection, insight and remediation as the three things a response has to join together (Section 5).
From the first letter to the hearing
Section 6 covers the portfolio — reflective statements, targeted CPD, audits, supervision and feedback — and Section 8 professionalism at a hearing. CORU’s trends report records that in the cases it concluded in 2022 to 2024 personal and professional conduct including dishonesty was a theme in 49%, communication in 39% and professional boundaries in 7%. For the stages from the first letter to the High Court, see the fitness to practise process in Ireland, explained.
Read the primary sources
- Guidance on Sanctions Imposed by the Medical Council (28 May 2024)
- Undertakings and Consents Guidance — Medical Council
- Guidance on Sanctions — Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland
- Fitness to practice — Dental Council of Ireland
- Disciplinary committees — Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland
- What happens when CORU receives a complaint
- CORU fitness to practise trends report (2022 to 2024)
Who wrote it
Dr Shehzad Iqbal
Course author and facilitator, Healthcare Ethics Ireland
Dr Iqbal wrote this course. He combines clinical practice with a formal postgraduate qualification in healthcare law and ethics, and has worked with registrants across the regulated health professions, online and face to face, since 2020.
He founded Probity & Ethics in the United Kingdom in 2020 and Healthcare Ethics Courses, which issues the certificates, in 2025. More about us.
MBBS · MRCS · MRCGP · Postgraduate Certificate in Healthcare Law and Ethics, University of Dundee
Written and reviewed by Dr Shehzad Iqbal. Last reviewed .
In short
Fitness to Practise for Healthcare Professionals is a two-hour, self-paced remediation course for healthcare professionals in Ireland — registered with the Medical Council, NMBI, the Dental Council, the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland or CORU — who face a complaint, a preliminary decision or a fitness to practise inquiry, whatever the concern. It explains what fitness to practise means; sets out the five regulators’ perspectives; covers the concerns that lead to a case — clinical competence, probity, boundaries, confidentiality, behaviour and communication, health and substance misuse, and teams and systems; compares weak and strong responses; joins reflection, insight and remediation; covers the fitness to practise portfolio; follows five case studies across the professions; and covers professionalism at a hearing. Ten sections, the first nine closing with a reflective quiz, a post-course assessment, and a dated certificate from Healthcare Ethics Courses. It is remediation and dated evidence of it; it decides no complaint, and it is not a substitute for advice from your indemnifier, your union or professional body, or a solicitor.
What fitness to practise means in Ireland
Fitness to practise is the regulators’ own term in Ireland: all five use it. NMBI speaks of fitness to practise complaints, the Dental Council of Fitness to Practice, and the Medical Council, NMBI and the Dental Council each have a Fitness to Practise Committee. The grounds differ by Act — professional misconduct and poor professional performance; a relevant medical disability at the Medical Council, NMBI and CORU; non-compliance with the Code at NMBI; unfitness to practise by reason of physical or mental disability at the Dental Council — but each asks whether the professional can practise safely.
The course defines fitness to practise as the ability to practise safely, ethically and competently, without unacceptable risk to patients, colleagues or the public — more than clinical knowledge or skill. It includes probity, communication, boundaries, insight, reflection and remediation, which is why a skilled professional can still face a fitness to practise inquiry.
In a written response, answer the question behind the complaint: whether you can practise safely now, and what shows it.
What these words mean
The three terms that decide where a complaint goes, and the words the course is built on.
- Preliminary Proceedings Committee
- The committee of the Medical Council, NMBI, the PSI and CORU that looks at a complaint before any inquiry: it may take no further action, suggest mediation, conclude the matter with an undertaking or a consent where its Act allows, or refer the complaint to an inquiry. At the Dental Council the Fitness to Practise Committee considers whether there is a prima facie case.
- Fitness to practise inquiry
- The hearing stage: before the Fitness to Practise Committee at the Medical Council, NMBI and the Dental Council, and before the Professional Conduct Committee or the Health Committee at the PSI and CORU. Any sanction heavier than an advice, admonishment or censure takes effect only when the High Court confirms it.
- Professional misconduct
- A ground of complaint under four of the Acts and, under the Dentists Act 1985, a ground for an application for an inquiry. The Dental Council describes it as a serious falling short in the standards expected of a dentist; the PSI as behaviour that goes against its Code of Conduct for registered pharmacists; CORU as any act, omission or pattern of conduct that breaches the Code.
Fitness to practise, the grounds and the other terms the course uses
- Fitness to practise
- The ability to practise safely, ethically and competently, without unacceptable risk to patients, colleagues or the public. The term used by all five Irish regulators.
- Reflection, insight and remediation
- Reflection identifies what went wrong; insight shows why it mattered; remediation provides evidence of what has changed. The course treats the three together.
- Probity
- Honesty and transparency in records, billing and communication. The course treats a probity concern, such as a backdated note or a false claim, as one that can be taken more seriously than a clinical error.
- Targeted CPD
- Continuing professional development on the subject of the concern, such as ethics, probity, documentation, communication or data protection. CPD unrelated to the lapse is weak evidence.
- Audit
- A clinical or administrative review of practice — prescribing, documentation, consent forms, billing — that gives measurable evidence of improvement over time.
- Fitness to practise portfolio
- Reflective statements, targeted CPD, audits, supervisor or mentor reports and feedback, each linked to the concern and the code.
The Acts a complaint is made and decided under
Ireland’s five health regulators each work under their own Act, all five amended by the Regulated Professions (Health and Social Care) (Amendment) Act 2020. These are the sections that say who may complain, on what grounds, and who looks at the complaint first.
Medical Council — Medical Practitioners Act 2007, section 57
A person, including the Council, may complain to the chief executive officer. The grounds include professional misconduct, poor professional performance, a relevant medical disability, and a failure to comply with a condition, an undertaking or a consent. The chief executive officer looks at the complaint first, an Authorised Officer may gather the facts, and the Preliminary Proceedings Committee decides whether there is enough cause to take further action. Read it.
For this course: Section 2 has a lesson on the Medical Council, and Section 7 follows a doctor’s prescribing case through to audited change.
NMBI — Nurses and Midwives Act 2011, section 55
A person, including the Board, may complain to the chief executive officer. The grounds include professional misconduct, poor professional performance, non-compliance with a code of professional conduct, a relevant medical disability, and an irregularity in relation to the custody, prescription or supply of a controlled drug. A Preliminary Proceedings Committee, assisted by a case officer, may refer a complaint to the Fitness to Practise Committee for a sworn oral inquiry. Read it.
For this course: Section 2 has a lesson on NMBI, and Section 7 follows a nurse’s backdated notes through to supervisor-verified compliance.
Dental Council — Dentists Act 1985, section 38
The Council or any person may apply to the Fitness to Practise Committee for an inquiry, on grounds that include alleged professional misconduct and alleged unfitness to practise by reason of physical or mental disability. This is an application for an inquiry rather than a complaint: the Fitness to Practise Committee considers whether there is a prima facie case, and if there is, it holds the inquiry. Read it.
For this course: Section 2 has a lesson on the Dental Council, and Section 7 follows a dentist’s billing case through to repayment and audited billing.
Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland — Pharmacy Act 2007, section 35
A complaint may be made in writing by or on behalf of any person, or by the registrar. The grounds include professional misconduct, poor professional performance, the effect on practice of a physical or mental ailment, emotional disturbance, or alcohol or drug addiction, and a failure to comply with a condition or an undertaking. The PSI separates a concern from a statutory complaint, which is for issues of a serious nature; its Preliminary Proceedings Committee may refer a complaint to a committee of inquiry or to mediation. Read it.
For this course: Section 2 has a lesson on the PSI, and Section 7 follows a pharmacist’s confidentiality breach through to new safeguards.
CORU — Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005, section 52
A complaint may be made to the Council by or on behalf of any person, or by a registration board. The grounds include professional misconduct, which CORU describes as any act, omission or pattern of conduct that breaches the Code, and poor professional performance. The Preliminary Proceedings Committee screens out complaints that are trivial, vexatious, without substance or made in bad faith; the Professional Conduct Committee deals with conduct or competence, and the Health Committee with whether a registrant’s health is affecting their ability to practise. Read it.
For this course: Section 2 has a lesson on CORU, and Section 7 follows a social worker’s boundary breach through to supervisor attestations.
Also engaged: Sanctions — advice, admonishment or censure, conditions, suspension and cancellation (erasure under the Dentists Act): Medical Practitioners Act s.71, Nurses and Midwives Act s.69, Dentists Act ss.39 to 41, Pharmacy Act s.48, Health and Social Care Professionals Act s.66 · High Court confirmation — the heavier sanctions take effect only when the High Court confirms them; an advice, admonishment or censure on confirmation or once the appeal window of 21 or 30 days passes without an appeal · The 2020 Act — the Regulated Professions (Health and Social Care) (Amendment) Act 2020, which amended all five Acts in stages from 2021 to 2025.
What happens after a complaint reaches an Irish regulator
Each regulator has its own Act and its own names for the stages, and your letter tells you which stage you are at. At each of them the same three things are worth showing in writing: that you see what went wrong, that you understand it against your regulator’s code, and what you have changed, with dated evidence.
The complaint and the grounds
Anyone may complain, including the regulator itself. Under the Medical Practitioners Act and the Nurses and Midwives Act the complaint goes to the chief executive officer; under the Pharmacy Act it may be made by or on behalf of any person or by the registrar; under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act by or on behalf of any person or by a registration board. Under the Dentists Act the Council or any person applies to the Fitness to Practise Committee for an inquiry. Professional misconduct is a ground of complaint under the four other Acts and, under the Dentists Act 1985, a ground for an application for an inquiry.
The preliminary stage
The Medical Council, NMBI, the PSI and CORU each have a Preliminary Proceedings Committee. At the Medical Council the chief executive officer looks at a complaint first and may assign an Authorised Officer, and the committee decides whether there is enough cause to take further action. At NMBI the committee may refer a complaint to the Fitness to Practise Committee for a sworn oral inquiry, or suggest mediation or informal resolution; at the PSI it may refer a complaint to a committee of inquiry or to mediation; at CORU it screens out complaints that are trivial, vexatious, without substance or made in bad faith. At the Dental Council the Fitness to Practise Committee considers whether there is a prima facie case.
Undertakings, consents and mediation
A complaint can be concluded by agreement in some cases. At the Medical Council’s preliminary stage a doctor may be asked to undertake not to repeat the conduct, or to consent to censure (2025 procedures). At NMBI in 2024, 12 undertakings or consents concluded matters at the preliminary stage and the Fitness to Practise Committee recommended 32 (State of Complaints 2024). Undertakings were the largest single Committee of Inquiry outcome in the cases CORU concluded in 2022 to 2024: 13, against 7 censures (trends report). In 2024 the Dental Council accepted undertakings from a dentist instead of making a High Court application (Annual Report 2024). Mediation at NMBI and CORU needs the consent of both sides.
The inquiry
The inquiry committee is the Fitness to Practise Committee at the Medical Council, NMBI and the Dental Council, and the Professional Conduct Committee or the Health Committee at the PSI and CORU. At NMBI allegations against a nurse or midwife must be proven beyond reasonable doubt. Medical Council inquiries are held in public unless the Council decides on a hearing in private or part private (Medical Council); CORU says its Professional Conduct Committee hearings are normally held in public and its Health Committee hearings normally in private.
The sanction and the High Court
Sanctions run from advice, admonishment or censure (admonishment or censure at the PSI and CORU) through conditions and suspension to cancellation, called erasure under the Dentists Act (MPA s.71, NMA s.69, Dentists Act s.39, Pharmacy Act s.48, HSCP Act s.66). The heavier sanctions take effect only when the High Court confirms them; an advice, admonishment or censure takes effect on confirmation or once the appeal window passes without an appeal: 21 days for doctors, nurses, midwives and dentists, 30 days for pharmacists and CORU registrants (MPA s.74, NMA s.72, Dentists Act s.41, Pharmacy Act s.50, HSCP Act s.68).
Interim measures and your first reply
Separately, the Medical Council says interim suspension is possible under section 60 of the Medical Practitioners Act 2007; where there is a serious and immediate risk, the PSI’s Council can seek suspension from the High Court; and the Dental Council may apply to the High Court for suspension under section 44 of the Dentists Act. None of the five regulators publishes a fixed deadline for a first reply: the Medical Council gives not less than two weeks to respond to an Investigation Report, and NMBI says you may request an extension of time. Take advice before you reply.
Facing a complaint to your regulator or a fitness to practise inquiry? This course helps you remediate — and show it.
Buy this course — €100 (€70 with Bulk Buy 10)Courses with the Ethics and Professionalism pair written to your own regulator’s code — for doctors, nurses and midwives, dentists, pharmacists and all other healthcare professionals, or every course →
Frequently asked questions
What does fitness to practise mean in Ireland?
Whether a registered professional can practise safely, ethically and competently. All five Irish regulators use the term, and the Medical Council, NMBI and the Dental Council each have a Fitness to Practise Committee. A complaint can be about conduct, competence, health or honesty; the question behind each is whether practice is safe now and in future.
I have just received a letter from my regulator. What should I do first?
Read it carefully, note any date it gives, and take advice before you reply. None of the five regulators publishes a fixed deadline for a first reply; the Medical Council gives not less than two weeks to respond to an Investigation Report, and NMBI says you may request an extension of time. Do not alter any record.
Who decides my complaint?
It depends on the regulator and the stage. A Preliminary Proceedings Committee looks at a complaint first at the Medical Council, NMBI, the PSI and CORU; at the Dental Council the Fitness to Practise Committee decides whether there is a prima facie case. An inquiry committee hears the evidence, the regulator decides any sanction, and the High Court confirms the heavier ones.
The complaint is about my health. Is that a fitness to practise matter?
Health is its own ground under each Act: a relevant medical disability at the Medical Council, NMBI and CORU, and unfitness to practise by reason of physical or mental disability at the Dental Council. The PSI and CORU have a Health Committee, and the Medical Council has one too. Ask your regulator and your adviser how your case will be handled.
How should I behave at a hearing?
Respectfully, honestly and calmly. Section 8 covers behaviour, communication and the presentation of evidence at a hearing: acknowledge the lapse without defensiveness, speak plainly rather than from a script, link what you say to your code, and present a portfolio the panel can follow. CORU says you may bring a legal or other representative to its hearings at your own expense.
Can this course be used as evidence?
It can be part of the evidence, but no course decides a complaint. It gives you a dated certificate of 2 CPD hours and the structure for a response that admits, names the standard, shows the effect and evidences targeted action. What a committee reads is your response and what supports it.
Should I take advice before I respond?
Yes — before anything is written to the regulator, a committee or your employer. If you work for a public health agency, note that the Clinical Indemnity Scheme says it does not provide representation at disciplinary proceedings or before professional regulatory bodies. Whatever your profession, ask your indemnifier, your union or professional body, or a solicitor. Nothing on this page is legal advice.
How long does it take, and how long do I have access?
The course is 2 CPD hours, self-paced, with access for twelve months from purchase. The certificate is issued on completion, dated, with the course title and the CPD hours. Whether the hours count towards your own CPD requirement is for your regulator or scheme to say: doctors must undertake a minimum of 50 hours in each scheme year, and CORU registrants must achieve 30 CPD credits in every 12-month period.
Can I get a certificate with a later date?
No. The certificate records the date you completed the course, and that date does not change. If your regulator, an inquiry committee or an employer asks for recent evidence, you buy the course again: half price within twelve months of your original purchase, the full €100 after that.
Will anyone be told that I am taking the course?
No. Nobody is told you are enrolled. We do not share participant details with any regulator, an employer, a union or an indemnifier; the certificate reaches them only if you attach it to your own response.
Courses that work alongside this one
A fitness to practise case asks for insight, reflection and remediation. These are the courses that pair with this one.
Dealing with a Complaint or Investigation Professionally
Responding to a complaint, employer and regulatory investigations, records and evidence, and protecting your wellbeing while the matter is open.
Insight for Fitness to Practise
What insight is, how the five regulators frame it, weak and strong demonstrations of insight, and how insight is shown in a portfolio and at a hearing.
Reflection for Fitness to Practise
Weak and strong reflective statements, the Gibbs, Rolfe and Johns models, reflection against apology and justification, and the reflective portfolio.
Remediation for Fitness to Practise
What a regulator looks for in remediation, what a remediation portfolio contains, case studies across five professions, and remediation at a hearing.
Ensuring No Repeat of Misconduct or Mistake in Future Practice
Risk factors for a repeat, weak and strong assurances of non-repetition, and the evidence that change has been made and kept.
Rebuilding Trust of Patients, Colleagues, the Public and the Regulator
How trust is lost, and how it is rebuilt with patients, the public, teams and the regulator: insight, remediation and future risk.
Ethics for Healthcare Professionals
The four principles, the Irish regulators’ codes, ethical dilemmas, confidentiality, probity, and ethics in a fitness to practise process.
Fitness to Practise for Healthcare Professionals
This course. What fitness to practise means, the concerns behind a case, weak and strong responses, and professionalism at a hearing.
Start today, finish at your own pace
Immediate access on purchase. Twelve months' access, a dated certificate on completion, and 2 CPD hours issued by Healthcare Ethics Courses.