The Office of the Health Professions Adjudicator (OHPA) became a legal entity on 25 January 2010. This marks the next legal step in OHPA’s progress towards becoming operational in April 2011.
OHPA is the new independent body set up under the Health and Social Care Act to adjudicate on fitness to practice cases brought before it by the General Medical Council (GMC) and subsequently the General Optical Council (GOC).
The establishment of OHPA marks another major milestone towards meeting the proposals made by the Government following Dame Janet Smith’s recommendations in the Shipman Inquiry.
Chair, Walter Merricks, said: “Now that we are a legal entity, our small transitional team can start to focus on getting everything in place for the organisation to go live next spring. My three newly appointed non-executive colleagues and I met for the first time as a board earlier this month and we are looking forward to the appointment of our first Chief Executive very soon. I anticipate a busy 14 months of preparation between now and April 2011 but I am confident that by working closely with the GMC we will be able to create a smooth transition next year.”
The next major step for OHPA will be a consultation around the procedural rules due to be conducted in the spring. To follow OHPA’s progress please keep returning to our website.
