Fitness to Practise Committee panels will consider the full range of sanctions open to them.

The proper approach is to start with the least severe sanction: the panel should decide whether the outcome is right for fitness to practise concern in question after they have considered any less severe sanction.¹

This means that panels must explain why they have chosen a particular sanction, and also say why they have rejected other sanctions. The following section of this 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