Shipman causes re-think on doctors’ testing
New rules on the testing of doctors have been postponed while the Government considers the recommendations from the Shipman Inquiry.
The General Medical Council (GMC) had planned to introduce new ways of examining a doctor’s fitness to practice in April 2005.
But this has now been put off indefinitely pending a review of how far this new system of revalidation conforms to Dame Janet Smith’s latest report into serial killer Dr Harold Shipman.
“It would be unfair to doctors and confusing for patients to start the new revalidation scheme on one basis and then to make changes after considering Dame Janet’s report,” Health Minister Lord Warner said today.
“It would not be appropriate to ask parliament to consider the legislation needed to implement the changes proposed for April 2005 with such a level of uncertainty.”
Lord Warner said the Government would be consulting the GMC and the medical profession as part of its review, which will be led by Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson.
Though the review will be as speedy as possible, it will not be completed by April. A new start date for doctor’s evaluations will be set after Sir Liam reports.
GMC president Sir Graeme Catto welcomed the review, adding: “The GMC will shortly be writing to all doctors on the register on this issue.”
Dame Janet’s fifth report into the 23-year killing spree of the Manchester GP, published last week, found that the GMC was not at fault in allowing Shipman to continue practising.
However, it criticised a culture of silence and over-protectiveness among both doctors and their representative body.
“The GMC has not safeguarded patients as it should have done. The culture focused too much on being fair to doctors and not sufficiently on the need to protect patients,” she said.
She recommended that patients should be entitled to know more about their doctors, while primary care organisations should in future do more to investigate complaints that might have a bearing on safety.
