Malpractice series 2: Ending explained, including if Dr Ford was found fit to practise, and news on series 3
By Helen Fear | Sun May 04 2025Malpractice series 2 turned out to be exactly as good as we'd expected, with an emotional and tense ending that kept our collective hearts racing - medical pun fully intended.
Viewers finally discovered the fate of junior doctor James Ford, and his colleagues at Queen Mother's University Hospital in North Yorkshire. And nearly all of them were culpable in some way.
Frankly, it's put us off ever going to hospital ever again. And, if you were thinking of trying for a baby any time soon, you'll probably want to cross your legs instead.
Thank goodness for Dr Norma Callahan and Dr George Adjei, who exposed the inherent corruption at the heart of the hospital's Trust. Although, they weren't exactly squeaky clean, either!
Here's the ending of series 2 of Malpractice explained, including what happened to Dr James Ford, Dr Sophia Hernandez, and those in charge of the Trust.
***Warning: spoilers from Malpractice series 2 ending ahead***
Malpractice series 2 ending explained: What happened in finale?
The fifth and final episode of Malpractice series 2 continued exactly where we left off at the end of the penultimate episode 4 - with Dr James Ford staring into the lifeless eyes of a very dead Maria Carter.
From that moment on, the ITV thriller hurtled dramatically towards its tense and immensely satisfying conclusion.
Having found Maria lying beside numerous empty pill packages, it looked like she'd been overwhelmed by the stress of being under investigation. But did she really choose to take her own life or did someone fake it to make it look like she had? We never actually found the truth about that, but Dr James Ford was determined to expose the truth about the Trust's role in her demise.
James searched Maria's property, and discovered that she had been having appointments at Victoria Hall.
What is Victoria Hall?
At first, psychiatric registrar Dr James Ford believed Victoria Hall was a person. However, he later discovered it was a place. Victoria Hall was where Maria Carter was meeting the parents of children who had received insufficient care at the QMUH.
Former midwife-turned-whistleblower, Maria was determined to get justice for the parents and their families. Hence, she was encouraging them to take legal action against the Trust in a bid to get justice, and compensation.
What happened to Dr James Ford at the end of Malpractice S2?
Dr James Ford, played by Tom Hughes in the Malpractice cast, had one hell of an hour in the final episode of Malpractice series 2.
To his horror, the roles were reversed when a knock at the door of his room announced a mental health care unit were there to assess him. During his assessment, he admitted he was stressed and had been taking sedatives. As he tried to describe his fears about the Trust, he began to sound like a raving conspiracy theorist, claiming Maria Carter was "silenced".
He said: "The closer I get to the truth, the more the Trust try to stop me. I know it sounds mad."
James was stunned when he discovered that his former lover, consultant Kate McAllister, had requested the mental health assessment. She organised the whole thing. Why? Because Rick Sawers had offered her a promotion if she threw James under the bus. What. A. Bitch.
James was subsequently taken "voluntarily" to a mental health clinic, otherwise he would have been sectioned against his will. However he faked a panic attack and ran away before he could be detained. He was then able to put his case in front of Norma and George, with the help of Dr Sophia Hernandez.
Was James found fit to practise?
During his review, James was found to be at fault for his part in Rosie Newman's treatment and subsequent suicide.
An independent spokesperson said: "Dr Ford's fitness to practise is impaired by reason of misconduct and incompetence. A serious breach of good medical practise has taken place."
Meanwhile, although he was found innocent of supplying Felicity 'Fizz' Templeton with drugs, he was criticised for taking her to a hospital further away, and for arranging her transfer from his ward. He was told he'd "put his career above her best interests which is far from the accepted professional standard".
However, he was not struck off for good. The review said: "Dr Ford's complete erasure from the medical register would not be in the public interest. He has demonstrated insight, and the risk of him repeating the aforementioned actions is low. As such, we feel a 12 month suspension sufficiently reflects the seriousness of the incidents. The decision will be reviewed at the end of the 12 months about his fitness to return to practise."
What happened to Dr Sophia Hernandez?
In the final episode of Malpractice, Dr Sophia Hernandez met with James Ford, who told her he needed "to make it right" after her part in Rosie Newman's psychotic episode.
James said: "This whole culture will never change unless we put a stop to it."
Having been stitched up by Dr Arun Mansoor, and asked to sign an NDA, Sophia realised she had to do the right thing.
Arriving at James' meeting with Norma and George, she said: "I should have done this sooner. The trust needs to be held to account. I'll be your whistleblower."
Ultimately, Sophia was prepared to implicate herself to highlight the negligence at the hospital.
What is the Trust, and what were they guilty of?
A "trust hospital" refers to an NHS trust which is a legal entity responsible for providing healthcare services. These trusts can be further classified as NHS Foundation Trusts or NHS trusts, each with varying levels of autonomy.
In Malpractice series 2, the Trust was being mismanaged and abused by the Director Erik Sawers.
Making a complaint against the hospital was made virtually impossible. Complainants were also paid off with much smaller sums than they were due.
Crucially, the Trust - with Erik Sawers and Arun Mansoor at the head - had pilfered money. Millions of pounds raised for the crumbling psych ward was never used for the promised repairs. Instead the money was pumped into the maternity unit.
George discovered, due to his girlfriend's job at Asquith Archer, that the Trust had put psychiatric unit Willows Ward up for sale despite the lack of mental health clinics locally. As if that wasn't morally wrong enough, Norma and George found out that Erik was set to profit from the conversion into luxury apartments (see more on that below).
Malpractice series 2 ending explained: Rick Sawers got his comeuppance
Dr Norma Callahan and Dr George Adjei got their 'mic drop moment' after being asked to deliver their findings on Dr Ford.
In a spine-tingling moment of badassery, Norma and George delivered their verdict. They said: "Over the course of our investigation, we have built a picture of a Trust masquerading as an award-winning provider of quality healthcare to the local population."
They added: "You have presided over a dangerous maternity unit whilst allowing the psychiatry department to crumble. Within maternity, you created a toxic, bullying culture of fear, employing intimidation tactics and the threat of referral to regulatory bodies to anyone who raised concerns. You covered up traumatic births like Rosie Newman's. You provided no protection for whistleblowers like Maria Carter."
Norma then hammered in the final nail in the coffin. That Erik had called in the MIU in a bid to hurry along the closure of the psych ward. All so he could get rich from some luxury flats. She explained that Erik's sister-in-law Tamsin Warwick owned the property company set to buy and convert the clinic.
Dr Norma Callahan said: "By the time we're done, this Trust will be tied up in legal action for years to come."
Who was George's patient Liam in Malpractice?
Dr George Adjei had precviously been in exactly the same position as James Ford. Hence why he started working with the Medical Investigation Unit (MIU) in the first place.
George felt responsible for the death of Liam, a young boy with cancer in his care whilst he was a doctor. Meeting his parents at their request, he told them: "I was told all the checks had been done. Everything seemed okay. As soon as I injected the drug, I knew something was wrong. I tried to resuscitate him, but he was already so weak from the cancer."
After Liam's death, the death was investigated via an inquest and a trial. Although not found responsible, George left clinical practice. Liam's parents told George they did not blame him for their son's sad death.
What else happened in the Malpractice series 2 ending?
- Dr Norma Callahan was brilliant at exposing the corruption in the hospital. But she'd also broken the rules herself. Something her partner Dr George Adjei discovered. Norma had abused her position and breached data protection in order to track down her daughter Ruby's tutor, with whom the student was having an affair. At the end of Malpractice series 2, Ruby was back from uni after her tutor had been suspended because of their relationship. Mother and daughter hugged it out, but it was left unclear whether Ruby had quit uni. Although it looked like Norma would get away with abusing her power (for the time being anyway).
- George's girlfriend Gina left him, after being sacked from her job.
- After throwing James well and truly under the bus for the sniff of a promotion, Dr Kate McCallister discovered there was actually no job for her after all. Erik Sawers had lied to her to manipulate her into ruining James' career. Erik then reported her to MIU. At the end of Malpractice series 2, she was about to face a tribunal herself...
Is there a series 3 of Malpractice?
ITV has not yet confirmed if there'll be a series 3 of Malpractice, but we'd be surprised if there isn't.
The anthology nature of the series means that every story is different, with Dr Norma Callahan and Dr George Adjei returning to investigate medical malpractice in different hospitals.
Like The White Lotus, True Detective, and Netflix's Monster, each series is a standalone which can be watched by itself. There's also plenty of scope for new plotlines, with different malpractice suits.
Of course, this is the same as crime dramas such as Shetland, which focus on a different crime every series.
While it's unlikely we'll see Dr James Ford again, we fully expect to see Dr Norma Callahan and Dr George Adjei looking into a new case in a possible Malpractice series 3. Watch this space for more details when we have them.
If there is a third season, we might have a wait. Series 1 was released in April 2023, with the second season landing two years later in May 2025.
