List of refused voluntary erasure cases

The request was partially successful.

Dear General Medical Council,

I would like to request the following:

1) number of doctors who applied for voluntary erasure while under GMC investigations from 01/01/2014 to 31/07/2019.
2) number of doctors being granted voluntary erasure while under GMC investigations from 01/01/2014 to 31/07/2019.
3) list of doctors being refused voluntary erasure while under GMC investigations from 01/01/2014 to 31/07/2019.

Yours faithfully,

Chris Li

FOI, General Medical Council

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Information access team

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Email: [GMC request email]

Telephone: 0161 923 6365

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FOI, General Medical Council

Dear Mr Li,

Your information request - F19/10346/SJ

Thank you for your email dated 25 August, in which you ask for:

 

1) number of doctors who applied for voluntary erasure while under GMC
investigations from 01/01/2014 to 31/07/2019

2) number of doctors being granted voluntary erasure while under GMC
investigations from 01/01/2014 to 31/07/2019

3) list of doctors being refused voluntary erasure while under GMC
investigations from 01/01/2014 to 31/07/2019

 

How we will consider your request

You’ve asked that we consider your request under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 (FOIA). The FOIA gives us 20 working days to respond,
but we’ll come back to you as soon as we can.

 

Who to contact

Sadie Jones will be handling your request. If you have any questions you
can call her on 0161 250 6889 or her at email [1][email address].

 

Yours sincerely

 

Lauren Barrowcliffe
Information Access Team Assistant

 

[2][email address]

0161 240 8356

General Medical Council

3 Hardman Street

Manchester

M3 3AW

 

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Sadie Jones (0161 250 6889), General Medical Council

Dear Mr Li

 

Your information access request – F19/10346/SJ

 

Thank you for your email dated 25 August asking for information about
doctors who have applied for voluntary erasure whilst under fitness to
practise investigation by the GMC. I’ve considered your request under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).

 

I can confirm that 581 doctors applied for voluntary erasure whilst under
a fitness to practise investigation between 1 January 2014 and the 31 July
2019. Of those doctors, 403 were granted voluntary erasure. Please note
that some of these doctors may have submitted more than one application
during this period.

 

I can’t provide you with a list of the doctors who were refused voluntary
erasure whilst under a fitness to practise investigation, because it would
breach data protection legislation to give this to you. We believe that it
is reasonable for doctors to expect that this information is treated as
confidential. I’ve given details of the exemption of the FOIA which
applies below.

 

The exemption

 

Section 40(2), by virtue of section 40(3A)(a)

 

This exemption applies where the information is the personal data of a
third party and where releasing the information would breach any of the
principles relating to the processing of personal data listed at Article 5
of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In this instance
disclosure would breach the first principle, which requires the processing
of information to be lawful, fair and transparent. I do not believe that
any of the legal bases for processing listed at Article 6 of the GDPR are
met and therefore giving you the information would be unlawful.

 

Your right to appeal

 

I'm sorry I couldn’t provide all the information you requested. If you
would like to appeal this decision to Julian Graves, Information Access
Manager, please set out your reasons in writing to
[1][GMC request email]. Please note that we will only usually consider appeals
received within 40 working days of our response. You can also appeal to
the [2]Information Commissioner, the regulator of the FOIA and DPA.

 

Yours sincerely

Sadie Jones

Information Access Officer

[3][email address]

0161 250 6889

 

General Medical Council

3 Hardman Street

Manchester

M3 3AW

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