20 December 2010
The General Medical Council has responded to the outcome of the DH consultation on the future of Fitness to Practise adjudication.
The Government has announced that OHPA is to be abolished and the GMC is to retain overall responsibility for adjudication.
Niall Dickson, the Chief Executive of the General Medical Council, said the GMC was committed to ensuring that fitness to practise panels were independently appointed and independent in their decision making:
“We welcome the Government’s decision. We are committed to taking forward a programme of major reform to create an efficient and modern adjudication function which operates independently from our other work.
“We plan to separate entirely our investigation activity and the presentation of cases from adjudication by creating a new tribunal service. This will have its own Chair, appointed through an independent process, who will report directly to Parliament on an annual basis.
“We intend to embrace the challenge we have been set, and believe we can make considerable progress, ahead of any legislative changes.
“The new approach will save doctors and taxpayers millions of pounds but we do understand it must also deliver tangible benefits, to assure both doctors and the public that the system is fair and proportionate as well as providing good value for money.
“The consultation on our proposals, which will build on the important work we have undertaken with colleagues at OHPA, will begin early next year.”
It remains to be seen whether the new proposals will satisfy the public and the profession or whether the same concerns about self regulation will continue to rumble on.