Professional Standards Authority publishes new report to improve handling of sexual misconduct cases in fitness to practise
08 Sep 2026
The Professional Standards Authority (PSA) has today published a new report, Improving the handling of sexual misconduct cases in fitness to practise, to support regulators and Accredited Registers in strengthening their approach to investigating, managing and making decisions in fitness to practise cases involving sexual misconduct.
The report comes as PSA appeal data shows a marked rise in the number and proportion of appeals involving charges identified as relating to sexual misconduct. These cases accounted for 11% of appeals in 2021/22, rising to 33% in both 2023/24 and 2024/25. In 2025/26, nine of the 35 appeals (26%) brought by the PSA involved sexual misconduct-related charges.
“Sexual misconduct cases are among the most serious and sensitive matters considered through fitness to practise processes. This report brings together learning and insights we have developed through our oversight work, engagement with experts and discussions with stakeholders, and is intended to support regulators and Accredited Registers as they continue to strengthen their approach. Fair, sensitive and effective handling of these cases is essential to maintaining public confidence and protecting patients, service-users and the wider public.”
The report draws on the PSA’s reviews of final fitness to practise panel decisions, its webinar series on tackling and preventing sexual misconduct, expert contributions on the impacts of sexual misconduct on victim-survivors, research, and emerging good practice from across the health sector and beyond. It highlights key challenges in the handling of fitness to practise cases involving sexual misconduct and sets out practical measures that regulators and Accredited Registers may wish to consider when reviewing their own approaches.
The report also sets out the wider context for the improvement measures identified by the PSA, recognising the importance of fair, sensitive and effective processes for all those involved in fitness to practise proceedings.
The publication complements existing resources available on the PSA website. It is intended to bring together the work the PSA has undertaken since 2024 and to support regulators and Accredited Registers in considering whether improvements could be made to the way fitness to practise cases involving sexual misconduct are handled.
ENDS
Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care
Contact: media@professionalstandards.org.uk
Notes to the editor
- More statistics and data on PSA fitness to practise appeals and sexual misconduct are available in the report.
- More resources including collated insights from our series of webinars and our May 2026 Sexual misconduct and Fitness to Practise conference are available on the PSA’s website
- The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA) is the UK’s oversight body for the regulation of people working in health and social care. Our statutory remit, independence and expertise underpin our commitment to the safety of patients and service-users, and to the protection of the public. There are 10 organisations that regulate health professionals in the UK and social workers in England by law. We audit their performance and review their decisions on practitioners’ fitness to practise.
- We also accredit and set standards for organisations holding registers of health and care practitioners not regulated by law. We collaborate with all of these organisations to improve standards. We share good practice, knowledge and our right-touch regulation expertise.
- We also conduct and promote research on regulation. We monitor policy developments in the UK and internationally, providing guidance to governments and stakeholders. Through our UK and international consultancy, we share our expertise and broaden our regulatory insights.
- Our values are – integrity, transparency, respect, fairness and teamwork – and we strive to ensure that they are at the core of our work.