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The response of the British Medical Association to 'Good doctors, safer patients', a report by the Chief Medical Officer for England

2 November 2006

Summary
The Donaldson and Foster reports* form the basis of a consultation on how professional regulation should be developed. Our contribution to this debate focuses on the report from the Chief Medical Officer for England, Sir Liam Donaldson.

The CMO’s report begins by pointing out that the number of poorly performing doctors is small and that the approach to this issue should be to support this group. We agree with this aim, but note that as it progresses the report veers away from it. By the end, the tone changes and the pages magnify the problems, contain some recommendations that are not consistent with a remedial approach, and suggest others that might worsen rather than improve the core challenges that we face. Throughout the report we found ourselves more often in sympathy with the identification of a problem, recognising the issues that needed to be addressed, rather than with the proposals suggested to deal with them.

Where we agree with the diagnosis but not the proposed treatment, we suggest other routes. In our conclusion, we draw these together to propose an alternative approach for developing medical regulation.

We will always be in favour of measures that promote excellence in medical practice and that help to reduce instances of poor standards, negligence or criminality amongst doctors.

A number of the recommendations would contribute to these ends.

Please download the response in Word format using the link opposite.


* Department of Health (2006), 'Good doctors, safer patients: proposals to strengthen the system to assure and improve the performance of doctors and to protect the safety of patients, A report by the Chief Medical Officer' and Department of Health (2006), 'The regulation of the non-medical healthcare professions: a review by the Department of Health'