The British Islamic Medical Association (BIMA) has joined a coalition of 13 medical organisations, led by the Medical Protection Society (MPS), calling on the Government to reconsider proposals allowing the General Medical Council (GMC) to retain and extend its right of appeal against decisions made by its own tribunal service.

Under current plans, the GMC would continue to appeal rulings of the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS), as well as gain new powers to challenge interim decisions.

The coalition argues this contradicts independent reviews by Sir Norman Williams and Dr Leslie Hamilton, both of which recommended removing the GMC’s right of appeal in favour of a single, independent route through the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).

In a joint letter to Health Minister Karin Smyth MP, the organisations warn that maintaining the GMC’s right of appeal risks undermining confidence in the independence of the tribunal process. They highlight that parallel appeal powers for both the GMC and PSA create unnecessary duplication, inconsistency, and complexity.

Evidence obtained by MPS shows that since 2016, 88% of PSA appeals have been successful, compared to 70% for the GMC — reinforcing that an additional GMC power is unnecessary.

The coalition includes the Medical Protection Society, British Medical Association, Doctors Association UK, Association of Anaesthetists, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, Royal Medical Benevolent Fund, British Islamic Medical Association, Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine, Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association, Medical Women’s Federation, the Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland, and the Medical Defence Union.