The GMC have been taking this issue seriously for many years which recurrent reports monitoring this situation and attempting to understand it:
- 29 doctors died while under GMC investigation or monitoring over the three-year period 1 January 2018 – 31 December 2020. https://www.gmc-uk.org/news/news-archive/gmc-publishes-report-on-deaths-during-investigations#:~:text=Published%203%20March%202022,three%20were%20from%20unspecified%20reasons
2.In 2020 - 2022 the "supporting vulnerable doctors program " was published looking at how to support doctors https://www.gmc-uk.org/news/news-archive/gmc-publishes-report-on-deaths-during-investigations#:~:text=Published%203%20March%202022,three%20were%20from%20unspecified%20reasons This report showed by this time 33 had died by suicide during investigation
3. In 2022 they initiated a program introducing "initial calls" specifically to support when notifying the doctor of referral and assessing what support was required. If they did not hear from the doctor in 48hrs they would contact them again https://gmcuk.wordpress.com/2026/01/06/every-doctor-reacts-differently-to-a-gmc-investigation-my-job-is-to-help-them-through-the-process/
Whilst the NMC have introduced Careline this program relies on the registrant to identify if they need psychological support and does not triage. Feedback on how effective this program is is mixed and to date we have no data from NMC on uptake of this service and feedback on benefits.
To date no internal investigation has been done at the NMC to the depth that has occurred at GMC and nothing is in the public domain. No work has been done with registrants to examine their lived experience of suicidal ideation and self harm during investigation.
At council meeting on 2nd July 2025 - the work of Professor Nancy Fontaine was presented and discussed - she conducted interviews of 40 registrants following their FtP when gaining no case to answer. High rates of severe mental health distress were found. The NMC state this report enabled them to build their safeguarding plan but the report itself has never been made public