New NHS doctor checks will not work, survey finds
Checks to help identify doctors who are unfit to practise will not work, according to a majority of doctors polled ahead of the anniversary of serial killer Harold Shipman’s death.
More than 80 per cent of hospital doctors and 67 per cent of GPs also said there are certain doctors they would not want to treat their friends and family.
4,600 hospital doctors and a further 1,000 GPs took part in the survey, by Doctors.net.uk for the Press Association.
Shipman’s conviction led to intense scrutiny regarding the professional regulation of doctors – a process called “revalidation”, which is now being implemented across the NHS.
Doctors are required to demonstrate on a regular basis – usually every five years – that they are up to date and fit to practise.
Tackling problem doctors
But more than half of doctors questioned in the survey – 53 per cent – disagreed that revalidation would help identify and deal with doctors who are not fit to practise.
Meanwhile, 22 per cent agreed revalidation would help identify and tackle problem doctors. The remaining 25 per cent neither agreed or disagreed or did not know.
Among GPs, 60 per cent disagreed that plans for revalidation would help to identify and deal with doctors who are not fit to practise.
We recognise that (revalidation) is a work in progress and we are already working to evaluate its impact. Niall Dickson, GMC chief executive
Some 86 per cent of hospital doctors agreed there are variations in care and that “there are certain doctors that I would not want to treat friends and family”.
The results were similar according to the seniority of the doctors, with 86 per cent of hospital consultants agreeing with the stated, compared to 84 per cent of junior doctors.
Among GPs, 67 per cent agreed there are variations and certain doctors they said they would not want to treat friends and family.
Upholding standards
Dr Tim Ringrose, Doctors.net.uk chief executive, said: “GPs and hospital doctors seek to uphold the highest possible standards in care, and their willingness to be totally frank about variations in quality demonstrates how keen they are to see continual monitoring and improvement.
“However, while revalidation should help to address such concerns, there is widespread scepticism about its effectiveness.”
But in a statement, Niall Dickson, the GMC’s chief executiv e and registrar, told Channel 4 News: “These are very early days of a new system for making sure every doctor in the UK is subject to an annual check and is able to demonstrate that they are practising safely.
“Of course it can never spot every instance of poor practice, but over time we are confident it will make a difference. So far only 12 per cent of doctors have had their licence revalidated by the GMC, yet we know the process has already had a positive impact.
“Employers are taking their responsibilities for ensuring the quality of medical practice more seriously, and we have seen a significant increase in appraisal rates for both hospital doctors and GPs across the country.”
He continued: “This is not a panacea, but a contribution to patient safety and we will develop the model over time. We recognise that it is a work in progress and we are already working to evaluate its impact. We will listen and learn from the experience of those who are going through the process.”
Revalidation started in December 2012. The majority of licensed doctors are expected to be revalidated by March 2016.