What this means
Start with the exact decision in front of you.
A PCC hearing determines evidence, the statutory allegation and, if well founded, sanction. The hearing plan should follow those stages and the committee's directions rather than treating referral as proof.
Immediate priorities
Organise the position before responding.
Audit the hearing bundle, witnesses and directions
Prepare a clear admissions and issues schedule
Plan evidence for facts, threshold and sanction separately
Detailed guidance
The procedure, evidence and possible route from here.
01
Work from the formal allegation and directions
A Professional Conduct Committee hearing considers allegations referred after investigation. Start with the current charge, case-management directions and hearing timetable. Compare the wording with the complaint and Investigating Committee material because particulars may have changed. Create an issues schedule showing admissions, disputes, witnesses, expert questions and evidential objections. Referral permits the hearing but does not prove any fact or statutory allegation.
GOsC's Hearings and Sanctions Guidance describes the hearing framework. Identify whether the case concerns unacceptable professional conduct, professional incompetence or a material conviction, and prepare for the applicable stages. Resolve practical arrangements for attendance, disability adjustments, privacy applications and witness availability early. A late procedural problem can materially reduce the time available for the evidence that actually decides the case.
- Use the latest formal allegation
- Complete an admissions and issues schedule
- Address hearing arrangements through case management
02
Prepare witnesses and expert material
Witness preparation should focus on first-hand recollection and source documents. Do not rehearse a fixed account or invite a colleague to strengthen an uncertain memory. Identify conflicts openly and assess which contemporaneous records may assist. Where a patient or vulnerable witness is involved, follow directions on contact and questioning. The osteopath's own evidence should distinguish memory from matters learned during the investigation.
For competence cases, examine the expert's instructions, experience, materials and standard applied. An expert should assist the committee rather than decide the statutory question. If another expert is required, obtain permission and comply with deadlines. Clinical records must remain intact, with any later explanation clearly separated. Use a paginated bundle and references so the committee can test assertions rather than search through an unstructured file.
- Prepare first-hand witnesses ethically
- Test expert scope and factual assumptions
- Reference every material assertion to the bundle
03
Prepare for threshold and sanction
After fact findings, the committee decides whether the statutory allegation is well founded. Submissions should address seriousness, context and the relevant professional standard. If the allegation is established, sanction follows as a separate stage. Evidence of insight and remediation should be specific and credible, while any dispute about facts should remain clearly stated rather than softened into an unintended admission.
The PCC can admonish, impose conditions, suspend or remove. Assess conditions against actual practice and monitoring. Read the written reasons and any interim order covering an appeal period immediately after the outcome. GOsC ordinarily publishes PCC decisions and active restrictions under policy. Check the decision and register for accuracy, then identify any statutory appeal deadline instead of relying on a request that the committee reconsider informally.
- Separate threshold from sanction
- Provide evidence of specific remediation
- Review reasons, interim order and appeal timing
Key questions
Keep the analysis tied to this stage.
Reliability and weight of the evidence
Whether the allegation is well founded
What sanction is proportionate
Advice is provided only by the regulated firm that accepts a matter.
Common questions
Clarifying the route without assuming the outcome.
Is a GOsC PCC hearing always about misconduct?
No. The PCC can hear unacceptable professional conduct, professional incompetence and material conviction allegations.
Will a PCC hearing be published?
GOsC publishes hearing decisions and active sanctions under its policy, subject to rules protecting confidential information. Check the current policy and case directions.
Connected guidance
Continue through the topic map.
Use the hub for the full sequence or choose the connected route that matches the notice.
Official sources
Check the material for this question.
Sources checked 19 September 2026. Rules change, so compare the current notice and linked official material and tell the operator if a citation or summary needs correction.