Under the Government's current proposals, the GMC would retain its ability to appeal decisions made by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) and gain additional powers to appeal interim decisions.

Dr Pallavi Bradshaw, medical director at MPS, commented: ‘The GMC's right to appeal decisions made by its own tribunal service is an anomaly so far as healthcare regulation goes in the UK.

‘Facing an MPTS hearing is already an incredibly stressful experience for doctors and patients alike. The PSA has a long-standing right of appeal in the public interest and the current set up creates unnecessary duplication and uncertainty without adding a material benefit for patients and the public.

‘We're calling on the Government to strengthen public confidence in the regulation of healthcare professionals by bringing an end to the GMC's right of appeal and strengthening the separation between the regulator and its tribunal service.'

The letter, which followed the launch of legal action by the BMA, was signed by: 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 International Doctors 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.