New Chair for the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service
Judge Fiona Monk has been selected as the new Chair of the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) and will take up the role on 5 January 2026.
Judge Monk, who joins from the War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Chamber of the First Tier Tribunal and has a wealth of experience in tribunals, succeeds Her Honour Judge Deborah Taylor who stood down in April 2025.
Responding to her appointment, Judge Monk said:
‘I’m delighted to be joining the MPTS at what is an important time for the organisation and the public. With further regulatory reform on the agenda in coming years and the introduction of new, robust guidance for tribunals, the MPTS continues to demonstrate its commitment to learning.
‘The MPTS has a crucial role in protecting the public and upholding the high standards of professional practice, and I feel privileged to take on its leadership.
‘The recently published Guidance for MPTS Tribunals will support tribunals to make fair, proportionate and transparent decisions. The MPTS has consistently demonstrated its commitment to reform and improvement, and I am looking forward to continuing this work.
‘I would like to thank Deborah for her work on the Guidance for MPTS Tribunals and for ensuring the MPTS is ready to welcome further changes through future regulatory reform.
‘I would also like to thank Gill Edelman who is a member of the MPTS Committee and has ably served as the Interim Chair of the MPTS since April 2025.’
Professor Dame Carrie MacEwen, Chair of the General Medical Council (GMC), welcomed the appointment. She said:
‘Judge Monk has a wealth of experience and a strong track record in judicial leadership. She is an excellent appointment for the MPTS and will be an asset to the organisation as it moves forward in its work to protect patients while being fair to doctors.’
Judge Monk was admitted as a solicitor in 1988, and specialised in employment and discrimination law, working at Coventry Law Centre for the whole of her professional career before judicial appointment.