New-style case report – a request for feedback
The PMCPA is piloting a new style of case report and is keen to hear your views.
The pilot involved three cases which were ruled upon by the Panel last year and were then reviewed by the Appeal Board in December, as part of its supervisory role. These cases are now complete and are being published today. The case numbers are:
We are very keen to get feedback on this new style from all those who read our case reports. Please provide your comments using the survey below.
Owen Robinson - Director, PMCPA
Provide your comments hereNew-style case report – a request for feedback
14 January 2026
Our reasons for changing the case report
We want to continue to shape our case reports to make sure we explain (often very complex) cases as clearly as possible. You may have seen an evolution in our writing style over the last year or so, with an increased use of sub-headings and bullet points to improve readability.
Our overall aim is to increase the accessibility, clarity and readability of the Panel’s rulings. We believe that the new style of case report will help the complainant and respondent understand the Panel’s reasoning, making it easier for them to decide whether to appeal.
Our case reports also have a wider readership of industry, the media, and the general public. We think that this new style of case report will make it easier for people to navigate the case reports. By rearranging the sections of the case report, we aim to provide a clear distinction between the part of the case report that is the Panel’s ruling, and which parts are the wording and submissions from the parties.
Key differences in the new style
The new-style case report, while visually quite different, is primarily a restructure of the existing case report – designed to achieve the desired accessibility, clarity and readability. The basis upon which the Panel makes its rulings has not changed.
In summary, the main changes are:
· A new 'case preparation' section that explains the background to the complaint, and how it was dealt with by the case preparation manager before it was referred to the Panel.
· A clear table at the beginning, providing the details and relevant dates in relation to the case.
· A table of contents and greater use of sub-headings, designed to help the reader navigate the document (which should be particularly helpful for long cases).
· The Panel ruling now appears before the complaint and response.
· Numbered paragraphs, which we hope will be useful for appeals by allowing parties to appeal e.g. “paragraphs x-y”.
· The complaint is at Annex A and the company response is Annex B. Any typos in these submissions will be left as they are so that the reader can see exactly what the PMCPA received from the complainant and respondent.
· There is an ‘Annex notes’ section which explains clearly why we may have anonymised and/or redacted parts of the complaint and response.
· The inclusion of the PMCPA logo.
Next steps
We have asked the parties involved in the three pilot cases for their feedback on this new style, to understand how they have found it from the perspective of being involved in an actual case.
However, we also want your feedback and we invite you to complete the short MS Forms survey (link below) where you can let us know what you think of our proposed new style, and you can suggest any other changes you would like to see to our case reports. Please complete the survey by 6 February 2026.
Once we have reviewed all the feedback, and subject to any further changes that may be required, we intend to transition to the new style for all case reports during 2026.
- Owen