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A step too far – a warning for Private Prosecutors
Shannett Thompson
Shannett is a Senior Associate in the Regulatory Team. Having commenced her career in the NHS, she is a highly experienced lawyer taking the lead in defending health professionals before their regulatory bodies including the GMC. She has substantial experience in advising individuals in relation to their regulatory obligations in the wider context.
Her experience extends through the initial investigatory stages, interim order, substantive hearings and appeals. She also represents individuals before Fitness to Practise committees, including the MPTS. She is adept at advising and assisting individuals in respect of registration/licensing applications. Shannett regularly works with the criminal team with regard to regulatory matters emanating from criminal convictions and cautions.
Shannett often advises clients in particular times of distress subsequent to a referral to their regulatory body. Her experience enables her to provide a tailored service to clients, often getting matters closed early, such as at the GMC Rule 7 stage. She has built up a wealth of knowledge in dealing with matters that touch on various aspects of the law including crime. Shannett has a sensitive but firm approach which assures clients of her expertise in the field. Shannett solely defended regulated professionals for the first 4 years of her career before doing any prosecutorial work on behalf of regulators. As such, she is able to exercise a pragmatic and measured approach to cases. Shannett is also an experienced advocate.
Shannett regularly speaks at external conferences on disciplinary issues and her articles have been published externally including in the Journal of Professional Negligence, Lexis Nexis and other professional publications. She was recognised by Brummel Magazine as ’30 Ones to Watch' list of London’s City stars for 2018.
Read our blog: Defending Professionals
Our professional discipline team publish regular blogs and case updates on legal issues relevant to regulated healthcare and financial professionals.
REcent work
Shannett has acted in the following matters amongst others:
- On behalf of a nurse in an appeal to the Registration Appeals Committee after the Registrar denied her application for registration due to previous convictions;
- On behalf of a student doctor who was refused his medical certificate which would allow him to commence training;
- Successfully assisted a nurse to remain on the register despite allegations of dishonesty;
- On behalf of a regulator involving defamatory comments made by registrants on social media;
- Represented a doctor following a concern raised about his status involved in presenting television programmes.
Publications and articles
Shannett’s case summaries and blogs are often reported by Lexology.
- Paramedic drove unconscious patient to wrong hospital in car and made three stops, ITV news, October 2016
- Operating Department Practitioner struck off for making sexualised comments about colleagues, May 2014
- 'Paramedic who failed to take bleeding woman to hospital still fit to practise', Wales Online, January 2013
- 'Indian radiographer who could not speak English worked at cancer hospital for SIX YEARS before being sacked after string of complaints', The Mail Online, November 2012
- 'Paramedic who boasted on Facebook that he 'saved someone's life and managed to cop a feel of some cracking jubblies' is found guilty of misconduct', The Mail Online, April 2012
- 'Surgeon's 'right-hand man' struck off after being caught drunk as woman patient lay bleeding on operating table', The Mail Online, August 2011
