BMA gives thumbs down to regulatory body
CMAJ 2000;163(4):432
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The British Medical Association has voted "no confidence" in the General Medical Council, the government-appointed body that regulates medicine in the UK. The historic vote came during the BMA's recent annual meeting, during which doctors reaffirmed their support for self-regulation but voted by an 80% margin that they had no confidence in the GMC "as presently constituted and functioning." They demanded "urgent reforms of its structure and functions in consultation with the profession."
British politicians have recently been calling for an end to self-regulation after several high-profile disciplinary cases. One involved a GP, Harold Shipman, who was found guilty of multiple murders earlier this year. Another case, decided July 20, saw gynecologist Richard Neale found guilty in 34 of 35 charges involving more than a dozen patients. Most of the charges involved incompetence and neglect, but he was also found guilty of doctoring his resumé. The British-trained Neale has a Canadian connection — he was struck off the register in British Columbia and Ontario for incompetence before returning to the UK in 1985. (On July 26, the GMC decided to revoke his licence for 5 years.)
The BMA move came a few weeks after the GMC president, Sir Donald Irvine, said that recent problems had "shaken the foundations of medicine" and that it was time for the GMC to shift its emphasis from protecting doctors to protecting patients.
A BMA spokesperson told CMAJ that the GMC "is not adequately protecting doctors or patients. Doctors have taken a battering recently and the GMC hasn't been active [in responding]."
In particular, there is now a 2-year delay in hearing complaints against doctors, which the spokesperson said is unfair for both patients and doctors. "The GMC is not open about what it's doing — it says it is preparing some reforms but we have no idea what they are."
Irvine responded to the BMA vote by saying that the GMC has accelerated the "radical overhaul" of its structures and procedures. A GMC spokesperson said the council has had "many discussions with senior members of the BMA and we have consulted them all the way."
Last month, Parliament granted the GMC's request for new powers that will allow it to increase its membership so that there will be more people available to sit on disciplinary committees; 160 physicians are currently awaiting a hearing. The GMC has turned its members' dining room into an ad hoc second courtroom and will soon be able to hear 3 cases at a time. — Caroline Richmond, London, England
© 2000 Canadian Medical Association or its licensors
