Watchdog to pick out danger doctors

New body alone 'will not prevent another serial killer'

A proposed health watchdog will be a "more powerful" way of picking up doctors who are a danger to their patients, say ministers.

But it will not prevent another Harold Shipman from embarking on a killing spree, warn leading doctors.

Health minister John Denham outlined details of the scheme, a "rapid response" unit staffed with medical professionals.

We will be much better placed to pick up warning signs and deal with them

Health minister John Denham

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the new body would move more swiftly to investigate reports of scandals.

He said: "Where there have serious medical scandals and sometimes cases of criminal acts There have often been repeated complaints over the years which haven't been effectively followed up.

"We will be much better placed to pick up warning signs and deal with them."

Combined with other methods of appraisal and discipline, he said the new authority would "underpin the public confidence" in the health service.

However, he added: "I don't think anyone believes that the problem the NHS generally faces is that we have a lot of people like Harold Shipman around."

"We have a wider problem - still a small minority of doctors - of poor practice."

To pretend that the announcement is a measure that was originally conceived to deal with cases such as Shipman would be misleading

Dr John Chisholm, BMA

Its foundation is seen as a government effort to restore faith in the medical profession following the huge public concern surrounding the serial killing GP.

But the British Medical Association disputes Prime Minister Tony Blair's view that the agency, coupled with a system of annual appraisals for doctors, would give "the best possible chance" of stopping someone like Shipman.

The BMA believes the government needs to adopt far stricter measures to stop a similar incident on the scale of Shipman, currently serving a life sentence for murdering 15 patients.

Improved monitoring

Dr John Chisholm, chairman of the BMA's GPs committee, said this could include improved monitoring of death certification and the use of controlled drugs.

"To pretend that the announcement is a measure that was originally conceived to deal with cases such as Shipman would be misleading," he said.

Shipman denied killings

"The new clinical assessment authority is one of a number of measures intended to improve and monitor the quality of care that every patient gets from every doctor."

Prime Minister Tony Blair believes the assessment authority, coupled with a new system of annual appraisals for doctors, would ensure the best possible chance of preventing a repeat of the Shipman case.

"It is going to allow us to take action very quickly," he said.

"We will be able to go in and sort out very quickly whether there is a real and substantial difficulty and address the problem."

'Rapid response'

The authority is expected to carry out quick checks on doctors if patients express concerns, and to ensure that poor performance in the medical profession is rooted out.

It is also expected to help doctors by offering them assessment and support.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health stressed the new authority would not undermine the work of the General Medical Council (GMC) or local health authorities.

She said the aim was to provide a rapid response to patient concerns.

The authority would have the power to make an assessment of an individual doctor or GP, but would then refer the matter to the GMC or health authority.