Professional disciplinary outcomes

The usual stages

• Complaint or referral: someone raises a concern with the regulator. The NMC received 6,539 new referrals in 2024-2025 ⁴.
• Screening or initial assessment: the regulator decides whether to investigate. The NMC decided not to investigate 5,074 concerns, 72% of initial assessment outcomes ⁴.
• Interim action: a regulator can restrict practice before a final decision. The NMC imposed 691 interim orders in 2024-2025 ⁴. Ahpra took immediate action in 554 cases relating to 315 practitioners in 2024/25 ³.
• Hearing: a panel or tribunal hears the case. Ahpra referred 192 practitioners to a tribunal in 2024/25 ³.
• Sanction or no sanction: the panel decides whether fitness to practise is impaired and what sanction applies ⁴.

United Kingdom: nurses, midwives and nursing associates

The NMC regulates nurses and midwives in the UK and nursing associates in England. Its Annual Fitness to Practise Report 2024-2025 covers its 2024-2025 business year. It records 6,539 new referrals and 6,234 cases concluded ⁴.

United Kingdom: solicitors

Most cases at the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal come from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). In calendar year 2025 it received 164 cases. 102 came from the SRA, 33% fewer than the 153 SRA cases in 2024, and 40 were lay applications ². It concluded 127 cases and held 67 substantive hearings ².

In 2025, 41 respondents were struck off, 25 were suspended and 25 were fined, according to the report text ². The report's tables of fixed-period suspensions show 17 from substantive hearings and 11 from agreed outcomes. The report does not explain the difference ². 30% of concluded cases ended by agreed outcome. Of 42 agreed outcomes submitted, 38 were approved and 4 rejected ². 70% of cases concluded within 9 months ².

Australia: health practitioners

Ahpra reports for itself and the National Boards for health practitioners. In 2024/25 Ahpra received 13,327 notifications, 19.0% more than the year before. Nationally there were 22,658 notifications about 16,209 practitioners ³.

Ahpra closed 12,086 notifications, 8.3% more than the year before ³. 2,379, or 19.7%, did not need referral to a health complaints organisation and resulted in no further action. 3,353, or 27.7%, were retained by, or referred to, a health complaints organisation. 1.4% resulted in the practitioner losing registration ³.

United States: securities brokers

FINRA publishes yearly disciplinary figures. Its figures do not count matters resolved by no action or informal action ¹.

Reading a disciplinary record

A referral or notification is an allegation. Most do not lead to a hearing ^3,4. An interim order is a temporary step taken before the facts are decided ⁴. A finding that fitness to practise is not impaired is a recorded outcome after a hearing ⁴. Strike off and a bar are the most severe outcomes for individuals in these tables ^1,24. The wording of outcomes differs between regulators.