MPS opinion: Trust me, I’m (not) a doctor...

By Tony Mason, MPS Chief Executive

Over the last 25 years, doctors have retained the position of being the most trusted profession in the eyes of the British public. Yet many doctors feel they are a profession under sustained attack. Not only is the press filled with sensational stories of failing hospitals, medical disasters and sexual impropriety by clinicians, but there has never been a time when doctors are under so much scrutiny with potentially career-threatening outcomes.

A doctor can be formally investigated numerous times concerning the same incident, for example, by a complaint, claim, inquest, GMC inquiry or disciplinary hearing to name but a few.

My fear is that if this trend continues and doctors fear the stress of prolonged investigations, the profession will lose many of the most caring and conscientious doctors and some people may even opt out of medical training in the first place. To my mind the key is to ensure that patients continue to have the highest levels of trust in their doctors and that the doctors are allowed to do what they do best – which is care for their patients in the knowledge that in the event of a mistake, everyone can learn from what has happened.

I propose this approach: 

• Adverse incidents should be investigated in an open manner 
• Doctors should only be investigated where there is a real and justified risk of significant impairment in a doctor’s fitness to practise 
• Patients should receive swift and fair compensation for harm caused by proven negligence.

There is nothing more important than ensuring the continuance of a strong doctor–patient relationship if we are to have a first-class health system. At the core of this is trust.