Instructions for independent investigations

As announced last week, we have now instructed Victoria Butler-Cole KC and David Hopkins from 39 Essex Chambers to complete the review of fitness to practise cases which were opened between 2015 and 2023 and raised by a whistleblower in 2023.

• Instructions to Victoria Butler-Cole KC and David Hopkins. Their review will consider the same fitness to practise cases that Ijeoma Omambala KC – who we originally commissioned to write the reports – was considering.

We have also instructed Lucy McLynn, Partner at the law firm Bates Wells and Chair of the UK’s leading whistleblowing charity Protect, to complete the review of the NMC’s handling of the whistleblowing concerns raised in 2023.

• Instructions to Lucy McLynn, Bates Wells.

We aim to publish these reports by mid-autumn.

The investigations will adhere closely to the original terms of reference, which set out the scope and objectives of the investigations, and remain unchanged.

The new instructions set out what is now required to complete this work, and reflect that some of the original terms of reference are no longer relevant, due to the passage of time and work completed.

Other recent news…