The sanctions available

The Committee should consider the full range of sanctions open to them. This section of the guidance deals with each of the sanctions in turn, starting with the least serious first. These are:

• taking no further action
• a caution order of between one and five years
• a conditions of practice order of up to three years
• a suspension order of up to twelve months
• a striking-off order

Because sanctions should be proportionate to the facts and impairment found, the Committee should start by considering sanctions that have the least impact on practice (that is, no further action).

If the sanction with the least impact isn’t enough to achieve public protection, the Committee should consider the next most serious sanction. This should continue until the Committee finds the sanction that is enough to achieve public protection. It is necessary that the Committee should then consider the next most serious sanction and explain why it is not required. The explanation should be more than saying that it would be disproportionate, and instead explain why it would be disproportionate.