Next week, I'll be spending all 5 days in hearings in London.  Monday and Tuesday at the HCPC, and Wednesday to Friday at the NMC.  My predictions: Fitness to practice impaired/Caution Order and Facts not proven/Misconduct not found.  I'll report back on the results.  Both of these are final panel hearings, where fortunately I have been instructed in a reasonable amount of time in advance. 

Although I'm happy to pick up cases the day before a hearing if necessary, some cases really require registrants to engage with the proceedings and with me a little earlier. 

 A couple of days ago, a registrant contacted me about a review of their conditions of practice order the next day.  In fact, the review had taken place a week earlier, but was being held again because the panel had not been shown one of the documents sent in by the registrant for the purposes of the hearing.  At that earlier review, the registrant hadn't turned up, nor had they sent a representative.  They weren't going to the rescheduled review either.  This was asking for trouble.

 The regulators view a failure to attend or at least send a representative, as a lack of engagement in the proceedings, and therefore as a lack of insight.  They are likely to conclude that you either don't appreciate the seriousness of your position and the importance of engagement, or that you have an attitudinal disregard for your professional responsibilities. As in this case, that will get you suspended (or struck off if you were already suspended).

 I feel sorry for registrants a lot of the time.  They usually have never been in regulatory proceedings and they don't know what to do.  But there are steps that need to be taken in order to put your case to best advantage, and those steps usually take time.  If you don't know what to do, find someone who does, and give yourself and them enough time to put up a good fight.